Furies Passion
by Asteross
Summary: Alek is willing to give up returning to London & her family and commit to & accept a life with Jason in Atlantis, but there are those who aren't going to allow or accept the two being together. One of those may turn out to be Jason himself. How far will he be willing to go to protect the woman he loves? Part two of the Furies series.
1. Prologue

_**AN:**_ I do not own Atlantis or any of its cannon characters. I only own my OC and original storyline. Everything else is the property of the BBC. As always reviews are most welcome, both positive and (polite) critique. Thank you

* * *

 _ **Furies Passion**_

* * *

 _It is the soul's duty to be loyal to its own desires. It must abandon itself to its master passion_

— _Rebecca West_

* * *

 _ **Prologue**_

The sun had only just started to send the first faint streaks across the sky and Atlantis was beginning to wake to another day. Guard Patrols were changing shifts, as shepherds were ushering flocks through the gates to spend the day in the lush grazing lands on the western slopes of the mountains. Famers driving carts piled high with all the bounty of the outlying farmlands jostled for space on the main thoroughfares along with merchants and vendors of all sorts who were hurrying to and fro, eager to get to the open air markets dotted throughout the great city in preparation for another day of sales. The cities bakers had been up before dawn, ovens in full swing in preparation for the morning's rush of customers in the agora's. In one of the many residential districts branching off the Canopic Way, Alek was making her way home from a neighborhood well, lugging a large clay jug filled with sweet cold water. She ignored the occasional odd look of her fellow passersby, who wondered at the beautiful young woman dressed as a noble but doing manual labor. Indeed the pale frosted pink of her tunic and dark maroon leggings would have looked perfectly at home in the royal palace. Especially as they were pair with the elaborate braid that kept her long chocolate brown hair contained, the tip of which brushed her hips as it swung to and fro as she walked. At the top of the steps to the home she shared with Jason and his two friends, she paused to watch the fiery ball of the sun, as it climbed out of the distant sea and rose slowly to peak over the highest point of the city's main temple dedicated to Poseidon. It had been nearly three years since she'd arrived in Atlantis, two and a half years since her and Jason's actions had nearly destroyed the city, and six months since she'd moved (for the second time) into the house with Jason and his friends, and many things had changed in that time. For starters, Jason had come mostly clean with his friends about where he and Alek came from, at least in as much as he and Alek had agreed was safe. While they felt it was unwise to mention that they had come from the future, they agreed to tell their friends as much about their pasts and their native England as they could. Hercules of course had been harder to convince than Pythagoras, but once the mathematician had come around the burly wrestler had reluctantly followed suit. Jason had also eventually been forced to confess to Alek about his dealings with Ariadne, which hadn't gone nearly as well. Alek frowned as her thoughts wondered back to the events that had almost led to the cities destruction...


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

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"The worst pain in the world goes beyond the physical. Even further beyond any other emotional pain one can feel. It is the betrayal of a friend."—Zac Brewer

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Atlantis was swelteringly hot, but that didn't stop its citizens from preparing for the mid-summer festival to be held in two months' time, celebrating the beginning of the Greek New Year. This summer's festival would be especially grand, as it was to be marked by a very special set of war games. King Minos had announced the betrothal of his daughter Ariadne to the Queens' nephew Heptarian at the spring festival last month, and that the union was to be celebrated by a Pankration; where every phase and type of combat would be represented, from archery to group and single combat.

Each division winner(s) would receive a purse of gold, with the biggest award going to the winner of the single hand-to-hand combat division. As the news of the royal betrothal spread, more and more visitors from neighboring city-states were arriving in Atlantis each day, most of them either potential combatants hoping to make a successful victory at the city's training grounds and so win a spot in the war games competitions, or merchants hoping to make windfall profits from tourists and Atlantians alike as anticipation of the coming festivities grew to a fever pitch.

Every single stall at the many agoras dotted throughout the city had been bought up and the city coffers had gained a healthy injection of funds for their sale as well as the extra revenue from taxes on the foreign traders and their goods. Those that arrived too late to gain a spot inside the cities walls had erected an impromptu marketplace on either side of the two main gates into the city. With no rooms left to rent anywhere inside the city walls, these visitors were left with no choice but to erect a sea of tents as accommodation, forming a small city of sorts of its own. With such an influx of people, crime naturally was on the rise, and it wasn't long before King Minos was forced to call in additional troops from outlying districts to help the city guard keep things in hand.

The days leading up to the festivities were filled with either the shouts of merchants hawking their wares, construction noise as builders labored to erect extra seating around the arena as well as the various training grounds for the thousands of spectators that were flooding the city, or the shouts of contestants as they passed the time before the festival in vehement training, as each hoped to take the top prize in their respective divisions. As the time for the contest drew nearer, the anticipation grew, as each division favorites' merits were weighed and measured. Fortunes were going to be made or lost as the betting on each outcome grew higher.

Secretly Jason and his two friends had been pleased at the news of Ariadne's betrothal; especially as it was getting harder and harder to make up excuses as to why Jason could never ' _accidently_ ' meet up with the princess anymore now that Alek had arrived in Atlantis. Hercules had managed to finally convince Jason that the quickest way to get them all killed as well as get his heart broken was to let Ariadne and Alek to find out about each other before Minos married the princess off. After all it was one thing for Ariadne to believe she was in love with a commoner, but it was an entirely different matter informing her that the object of her infatuation was throwing her over for another woman; regardless whether that woman had a prior claim on him or not.

Hercules also correctly deduced that Alek would be less than pleased to find out Jason had been mooning over another woman, especially as it had occurred so soon after their separation. Jason was especially anxious that Alek not find out; not only because of all she'd lost and given up to find him, but also as cheating was a sore spot with her anyway as that was what caused her mum to divorce her dad. And though technically nothing had ever happened physically between the brunette warrior and the princess other than one chaste kiss, Jason still couldn't shake the feeling that Alek would be hurt and disappointed with him. After all she had risked everything including her life to find him, rather than live without him. Whereas Jason had cowardly tried to replace her with the first imitation he could find that reminded him of her. The royal wedding announcement had been like an answer to Jason's prayers. While none of them liked Heptarian, and they were pretty sure the Princess was less than pleased as well; they reasoned that he could be no worse or better than Minos. Besides, it would be Ariadne that ruled someday, as any husband she took would be no more than an advisor and consort.

When Ariadne was finally married at the end of the summer festival, it would finally be safe for Jason to list his intent to marry during the next Hierogamy with the city's census taker. Then neither woman need ever know about the other as they were unlikely to ever meet until _after_ their respective weddings. Confident in their plan, the only thing left to accomplish was to avoid the princess as much as possible. What none of them had counted on was Ariadne using Jason to help her in breaking off her betrothal.

Avoiding Ariadne seemed like a relatively easy task at first. After all as a goddess on earth and one of Poseidon's servants, the princess had royal duties that were designed to fill her days, leaving little if any spare time to sneak away and meet a lover. But as the festival drew nearer, and anticipation of a royal wedding grew, Ariadne was starting to grow desperate. When Minos had made his announcement at the spring festival, none had been more shocked than the princess. She'd had no idea that her father was even entertaining the possibility of a marriage as he'd given her no indication at all. At first she'd tried reasoning with him; finally flatly stating her distaste for Heptarian.

While Minos wasn't immune to his daughters' feelings, he was above all a king first. The benefits to the kingdom must come before all else, personal preference included. Heptarian had served the city well as a fine military general and tactician. Though he did have a bit of a reputation as being harsh with those who fell outside the law, that could be reasoned as no bad thing as it did tend to keep law breaking in check. Besides as far as his dealings with the princess, Minos had only ever seen him as being attentive, courteous and respectful with Ariadne. Not to mention that it was a match his Queen had had her heart set on ever since she had brought her nephew to the palace when his parents were killed in a fire. Finally tired of Ariadne's complaining, Minos flatly informed his daughter to reconcile herself to her future. After all, love fell very far down the list of necessities for a royal wedding. The good of the kingdom must come first, and he would accept nothing less than a sign from the gods themselves to stop the wedding.

With the battle lines firmly in place, Ariadne wracked her brains for a way out of her predicament. The easiest solution seemed to be to convince High Priest Melas to speak with her father. Unfortunately, though Ariadne could always count on an ally with the high priest, her step-mother (already suspecting some resistance from Ariadne once the announcement was made), had immediately had the temple priests to publicly bless the union, effectively tying Melas' hands and preventing any further intervention by the temple. Finally fed up with Pasiphae's blocking her every move to break the engagement, and growing ever more desperate, Ariadne decided to take a leaf out of her step-mothers book and have Heptarian assassinated; after all it would be impossible for her to marry a dead man. Knowing any communication she tried to send to neighboring kingdoms would be intercepted by her step-mother, Ariadne had Melas to secretly inquire for any possible prospects within their own kingdom, but unfortunately the queens reputation was too fierce; none would brave her wrath should they be caught. As for Ariadne, no matter how much she despised Heptarian, she wasn't willing to risk attempting to kill him herself and possibly getting caught. It wouldn't matter that she was a royal princess, Heptarian was Poseidon's servant and any attempt on his life was treason, punishable by death.

In the end it was Korinna who came up with a solution. She convinced Ariadne to use her father's fear of the gods against him, knowing the one thing Minos feared above all else was displeasing the gods. Korinna reasoned that if Heptarian were to be defeated in the Pankration, (something that had never happened before), it would be taken as a sign from the gods that the union would not receive the blessings promised. Therefore if the wedding were to proceed, it could potentially bring the gods wrath down on the city. With her only course of action decided, now all Ariadne need do was find a secret champion to enter the games and defeat her intended, and she knew just who to ask.

She planned at first to somehow manage to ' _accidently'_ meet Jason in or around the cities arena and training grounds. After all it was a perfectly natural way to pass an evening's entertainment watching her betrothed spar along with the rest of the contestants from the comfort of the royal box, and if she just happened to bump into Jason while strolling through the grounds nothing would be thought of it. It would be a simple task for her maid Korinna to pass him a note outlining her plan. It didn't take long however for the two conspirators to realize that Jason had no intention of entering the competitions, as his name continued to fail to appear on the list of hopefuls and the deadline for earning a spot among the fighters crept ever closer.

Determined to put her plan in action, she sent Korinna to Jason's house with a message to meet her in the temple after evening prayers, only to learn from his friend Pythagoras that Jason and Hercules had gone on a hunting trip somewhere deep in the forest. Nearly every day for a week, Korinna was sent to see if he'd returned only to be frustrated at finding the brunette warrior not at home. Luckily for the men of the house, Alek was always up and out and about by dawn; usually either at the library, or at lessons with Daedalus, or at the street of the bakers with her friend Emineous and was prone to never being home until well after the evening bells had been rung, thus avoiding the possibility of crossing paths with the servant girl. This left Pythagoras the job of concocting one fabrication after another as to the brunette warriors' whereabouts, (usually while Jason hid on the roof of their house until after Korinna had gone). A job that was quickly causing the worried mathematicians nerves to fray. Finally when it was becoming too suspicious to say he was hunting, Pythagoras concocted the story of a job that had Jason traveling as a guard to Helios and beyond with a traveling merchant caravan, with no firm date of return. Frantic now, Ariadne conferred with Melas and determined to set spies at all the city entrances with the instruction that should Jason be spotted _anywhere_ that word was to be sent immediately to Melas, who would get word to the princess. Finally with just a month left till the wedding, word came from Melas that Jason had been spotted in the city the night before. Ariadne now only had to figure out a way to meet him without giving Pasiphae any indication or reason to be suspicious.

* * *

Korinna hurried through the palace halls, taking care to avoid both the palace guards at their various posts as well as any path the Queen would be likely to take. Right before the end of the morning meal, Princess Ariadne had given the secret signal the two of them had developed to let Korinna know there was a task her mistress needed performed. Reaching the princess' door, Korinna checked that the coast was clear before silently slipping inside. Ariadne was waiting for her, pacing the floor of her chamber nervously. When Korinna slipped inside, the princess whirled as if expecting an attack.

Seeing her only friend and confidante, Ariadne's shoulders slumped in relief, "Did anyone see you come this way?" Ariadne whispered quickly.

"No mistress, I took the servants halls, none were about at this hour to see me" the young servant assured her.

"Korinna, I must ask you to take a message for me. It must be secret. If you're caught, I fear it could mean more than one life lost. Will you do this for me?" Ariadne pleaded earnestly.

"Of course Mistress, anything you require I shall do" the blonde girl promised.

Ariadne nodded solemnly, "Then take this note, and at the first opportunity pass it to Medusa with instructions to see that the note reaches Jason. It must go to his hands alone and no others; there are too many of the Queens' spies watching my every move for me to trust any but you three."

"It will be done Mis—" Korinna never finished her sentence as at that moment, Ariadne's door was thrown wide and Queen Pasiphae swept into the room only to pause at the sight of the two girls looking so shocked and guilty.

"Ariadne is everything alright?" the Queen asked suspiciously.

"Y-yes, yes thank you…" the princess stammered trying for a look of calm indifference, while simultaneously trying to ease between Korinna and Pasiphae. The Queen raised one brow imperiously, a small cruel smile playing across her lips. For her part Korinna tried as unobtrusively as possible to slip toward the door, only to be brought up short when the queen stepped casually into her path, never sparing a glance at the servant girl.

"The choosing of the winning hopefuls begins at weeks end; you are expected at your father's side to applaud your betrothed as he competes." Pasiphae informed the princess, her eyes glittering maliciously at the knowledge that Ariadne would be forced to appear pleased at the betrothal when she so clearly was not.

Refusing to let her hated step-mother see how the mere thought of Heptarian made her stomach turn, Ariadne drew herself up to her full height and stared Pasiphae straight in the eye, "Of course, the Gods would expect nothing less for a union that is to be made in their name." Pasiphae continued to hold the princesses gaze, but to Ariadne's credit she never flinched. After a long tense moment, the queen smiled and nodded, "Good" she replied, starting to turn away to go out the door. Just as her hand touched the door post, she paused as if forgetting something important.

Turning back she glanced at Ariadne for a split second before her cold eyes settled firmly on Korinna, "Now if you'd be so kind as to hand me what you've so carefully tried to conceal in your hand" she demanded harshly.

Korinna paled as she felt those cruel eyes penetrate her soul, "Y-your H-Highness…" Pasiphae held her hand out silently, and Korinna knew there was going to be no escape.

Turning fearful eyes on her mistress for only a moment, Korinna held out the slip of parchment in a trembling hand. The queen snatched the note and quickly unfolded it. After only a cursory glance at the message, she turned a fierce glare on the helpless servant, "Who gave you this?" she hissed viciously. Korinna stared at the floor and remained silent though she knew it quite possibly could cost her her life. Pasiphae looked between the two girls for only a moment before piecing together who the note was from and also who it was meant for.

"No matter," she purred like a cat with a wounded bird, "That is a conversation we can have later. GUARDS!"

In seconds, two burly guards burst into the room, "Take her away" the Queen waved toward Korinna.

Ariadne panicked at seeing her only ally hustled from the room, "Wait! Please no!" she cried uselessly.

Pasiphae stepped between the Princess and the retreating Korinna who was being roughly dragged away. Holding up the small slip of paper before Ariadne's eyes, she purred spitefully, "Did you really think something like this could go unnoticed, unpunished?"

"What will you do to her?" Ariadne asked fearfully.

Pasiphae spared the girl a small smile, "A servant who betrays our trust must be punished, _regardless_ of who her mistress is."

Pasiphae crushed the note in the hand, her eyes glittering with malice, "I mean really Ariadne, did you honestly think I wouldn't find out? Imagine the scandal! A royal princess and a commoner? What of Heptarian? He cares for you deeply Ariadne, and your father. Think of your father! Did you never stop to consider how this would have affected him? You know Minos has not been well recently. Something like this; it could well push him past the limits of his endurance. Not to mention how it would threaten the kingdom! What if the people should find out that their ' _beloved'_ princess was panting after a simple commoner, and a foreign one at that, like some bitch in heat? Where would your reputation be then?" Whirling to the door, Pasiphae turned and raised the fist still holding the crumpled note, " _ **This will end**_ Ariadne! You are betrothed to Heptarian and _**nothing**_ you can do will change that, so either you end this with the boy now or I shall have to have your conspirators and him…removed. Do I make myself clear?"

"Perfectly" Ariadne whispered never taking her eyes off her despised step-mother, "and Korinna?"

Pasiphae sighed as if dealing with a particularly difficult child. Dropping the crumpled note at Ariadne's feet, Pasiphae purred, "Remove this boy from your life once and for all and Korinna may return. After all I have no desire to punish the innocent; that's fair isn't it?" Smiling triumphantly she turned and swept out the door, leaving Ariadne to crumple into a defeated heap on the floor.


	3. Chapter Two

AN: I know this chapter is short, and I'm not completely happy with it, but as it's more a bridge sort of thing than anything else, I guess I'll just have to accept it. I hope you all can too.

Chapter Two

"In tragic life, God wot, No villain need be! Passions spin the plot: We are betrayed by what is false within."—George Meredith

Two days after Korinna's arrest, High Priest Melas succeeded in getting a message past the palace spies to Jason, asking that he meet the priest in secret during the evening prayers. The ragged street urchin that bore the scrap of parchment had finally located his target working on the city docks, and waited somewhat impatiently for a reply as Jason quickly scanned the note. To save Pythagoras' peace of mind, not to mention temper, the brunette warrior and his two friends had recently found somewhat steady work as porters at the cities docks. With dozens of traders flooding Atlantis in hopes of extra profit to be made during the festival celebrations, the city dock master was looking for all the extra help he could find. It was also the safest place to hide out from the princess and still be close enough that they could keep a watch over Alek in case she started having her weird visions again without her becoming suspicious. It was also highly unlikely that they would cross paths with either Ariadne or Korinna as no one but Alek knew they were working there; not even Medusa had been told.

"Tell him I will meet him at the temple after I finish work here this evening" Jason told the grubby child. Nodding once to show he understood the child turned and raced away, melting into the crowds and disappearing in seconds.

"What in the world was all that about?" Pythagoras asked curiously.

"Dunno," the brunette replied, "but I doubt it's anything good; nothing from the temple ever is." Hercules grunted his agreement. Turning back to the stack of cargo they had been unloading the three returned to their work.

Page break

Melas cornered Jason as soon as he entered the temple that evening, a finger to his lips indicating silently for the brunette to be as quiet as possible, and motioning the young man to follow him to a shadowy corner away from the casual glances of the few worshipers who were still lingering in the temple. Once they were out of ear shot of any of the worshipers or acolytes scattered throughout the vast temples many shrines, Melas bowed his head before one of the minor alters, indicating with a glance that Jason should do the same.

"I am here to pass a message," Melas murmured, his head still bowed as if in prayer, "You are to speak with Her Highness, who awaits you at the altar of Hera. You must go there immediately, and above all you _**must not be seen**_. To do so would mean both your own death and mine."

"Why? What's this all about?" Jason asked, careful to keep his voice as low as possible and glancing about himself nervously. Melas stared hard at the young warrior for a moment, his countenance unreadable. Bowing his head slightly he turned and slipped away further into the shadows, his task completed, leaving Jason to stare after him apprehensively.

Once the high priest disappeared, Jason debated ignoring the summons and simply leaving and going home. How had Ariadne managed to find him anyway? The only logical explanation was that she had set spies to watch for him. As he shifted from foot to foot debating, the little voice in his head that always warned of danger was getting more and more anxious. If Ariadne was this determined to find him, what would keep her from eventually just showing up at his house, maybe with guards in tow? How would he explain that whole mess to either Alek or Ariadne without them finding out about one another? Finally deciding that the best thing to do was to just find out what Ariadne wanted and try to tactfully impress on her that as an engaged woman, he could no longer in good conscience be her Lancelot. Decision made, he followed Melas' example and slipped into the deep shadows that clung to the temple walls. Careful to stay out of the light of the few braziers still lit, the brunette warrior silently made his way toward the section of the temple given over to worship of other more feminine gods and goddesses where a largish alter stood. Jason slipped into a shadowed corner behind the statue of the Goddess Hera that marked the shrine where the Princess paced. Careful to remain out of sight, he waited until the palace guard who followed the Princess whenever she left the palace had turned to pace in the opposite direction before showing himself. Easing around the statue somewhat he hissed slightly to gain the princess' attention.

"Why did you ask to see me Ariadne?" he whispered, never taking his eyes off the retreating guard.

Ariadne whirled startled until she realized it was her champion. Hurrying over to the brunette warrior she grabbed his hand, "Jason," she breathed relieved, "I'm so glad you've come."

Jason drew back his hand and slipped further back into the shadows, "Careful Ariadne! We can't be seen remember?!" Flushing in embarrassment, Ariadne drew back and bowed her head at the alter as if in prayer, "I didn't know who else to turn too since Korinna was arrested; I-I suppose you've heard of my betrothal to Heptarian…" she trailed off watching Jason carefully. Jason cursed silently to himself; he should have realized it was about the announcement. Especially as the high priest never sought him out unless it pertained to some task he was ' _destined_ ' to perform as the princess' reluctant savior, but it _was_ news to hear that Korinna had been imprisoned.

"The whole kingdom knows of the betrothal by now" he replied, wisely keeping his voice neutral, "but what happened to Korinna?"

Ariadne shrugged aside the question about the servant girl, but nodded miserably at his acknowledgement of her impending nuptials. "I couldn't quite believe it at first; Father didn't consult me at all you see" she whined wretchedly, "He didn't even consider that it might not be something I'd want."

She paused as her guard had turned and started pacing back toward her. Jason quickly slid behind the statue, silently waiting as the man marched back to the altar before sharply turning on his heel and pacing away in the other direction. As soon as he was out of earshot, Jason moved back around the statue. Ariadne wrung her hands as fat tears started to form in the corners of her eyes, "The thing is, I know we haven't known each other that long, and yet I feel like I've never known anyone like you before" she whispered urgently, glancing up at Jason from the corner of her eye to gauge his reaction.

Jason sighed internally; being the object of a woman's attention was definitely something he'd never had to worry about in England. Other than Alek, he'd really never had to deal with anyone being interested in him. At least not anyone who was after more than a quick shag, and definitely not anyone like Ariadne; who could potentially hold his and his friends lives in her hands, and he wasn't confident enough in himself to be sure how to handle the situation.

"Ariadne, please don't…I mean, now's not the time; Kor—" Jason began as he tried to interrupt the princesses' complaints.

"No one as brave, as handsome, or as wonderful," Ariadne rushed on, ignoring his attempts to halt her speech, "and I _know_ you have feelings for me too. That's why I've come to ask your help in breaking off the engagement" she finished desperately. For a minute Jason was stunned, what could he do?

"I can't Ariadne," he replied reasonably, "what could I do? You're a princess of Atlantis, betrothed to Poseidon's servant, and I'm…well, I'm just me."

Ariadne was forced to forestall her reply as the guard turned to make yet another round of his pacing, compelling Jason to once again slip out of sight. The Princess tossed a small bunch of fragrant herbs onto the fire of the altar and bowed her head until the man once again turned and paced away.

Once the guard was far enough away, Jason slipped forward again. "We have to get Korinna out of the dungeon before she's tortured by the Queen" he muttered forcefully, "She can't be allowed to suffer for just doing as she was told."

"Yes, but…" Ariadne began, only to now be the one cut off as the brunette warrior continued doggedly.

"Besides you have a duty to your people—to the city," Jason continued relentlessly, "isn't that what you were always telling me?"

Ariadne jerked back as if he'd struck her, "To marry someone I don't love? What sort of duty is that?!" she hissed at him before drawing herself up imperiously, "Besides, I'm convinced that within a year of the marriage both my father and I will be dead and Pasiphae will take over the throne. In fact I suspect she's behind my fathers' recent bout of ill health; I'm almost positive she's poisoning him somehow, though I've yet to find any proof."

Jason drew further back into the shadows as the temple guard passed yet again. "If you've ever cared for me at all, you'll help me" Ariadne muttered to him as the guard spun on his heel and marched back the way he'd come.

Once the guard was out of earshot, the brunette warrior edged forward again, "You can't know for sure that she's poisoning Minos," Jason hedged, all the while privately agreeing it did sound like something the Queen would do.

Ariadne arched one delicate brow causing Jason to relent sighing, "Alright, what exactly do you want me to do?"

Ariadne scanned the area to make sure there was no chance of being overheard, "You could arrange an ' _accident_ ' for Heptarian…" she tried to suggest, only to trail off at the scowl on her would-be lover's face.

"I'm _**not**_ a murderer" he growled quietly.

Ariadne nodded quickly, "Aside from that I believe our only option is for you to defeat Heptarian in the Pankration. As Poseidon's servant, Heptarian has fought in the cities war games since he was a boy. He's never lost a match since reaching his majority."

Jason continued to frown at the woman before him, "So I'm supposed to defeat him _**how**_ exactly? I've never even _**heard**_ of these competitions before now, much less _**fought**_ in one. Besides, even if I could somehow defeat Heptarian in the games, how's that supposed to help break the engagement? Or help Korinna? You know, your _**best friend**_?"

Ariadne waved aside his concern for the servant girl, "Korinna will be fine; Pasiphaes' not going to do anything _**too**_ _ **bad**_ to her before the wedding for fear I'll refuse the marriage. As for beating Heptarian, that's the beauty of it don't you see?" the Princess gloated, "You're a complete unknown; other than the Minotaur, which frankly most people don't think you killed because of your friends' boasting that _**he**_ actually killed it. But we both know that you're more talented with a sword than you let on, otherwise you'd have _never_ beaten my brother that night in the woods all those months ago. It's perfect don't you see?" she continued conspiratorially, "If some relatively unknown, unskilled ' _ **boy**_ ' can beat Poseidon's _**champion**_ , it would be seen as a sign from the Gods that the union isn't blessed. My father would have no choice but to call it off." When the brunette warrior continued to look doubtful, Ariadne threw caution to the wind and grasped both his hands, before moving to lightly brush the tips of her breasts against his chest as she stepped close, "Please Jason, you're my only hope" she whined fretfully.

Backed into a corner by Ariadne's reasoning, Jason knew he had no chance of wriggling out of the situation that wouldn't eventually involve telling her about Alek. Though he didn't truly believe Ariadne would be spiteful enough to actually harm either of them, the little voice in the back of his head that always cautioned against trusting people convinced him not to risk Alek's life on how well he _thought_ he knew the Princess. ' _After all she's basically throwing her '_ _ **best friend**_ _' under the bus, and she did just ask you to kill a man in cold blood_ ' the little voice reminded him.

Frustrated, he finally nodded, "I can't guarantee that I can defeat him, but I will at least try. That's all I can promise" he replied cautiously.

"Thank you, oh thank you," Ariadne gushed, "I will light incense to the god Aries every day and pray for your success. Now I must get back to the palace before I'm missed."

Smiling at Jason excitedly, she turned and hurried away, forcing her guard to stumble as he rushed to fall in behind her, and leaving Jason standing in the shadows wondering exactly how he'd get out of this latest mess.


	4. Chapter Three

AN:First I'd like to apologize for not updating in so long. Life got a bit complicated and then my old laptop finally died. I'm also going to be moving next month so it may take be a week or so to get some decent interwebs but I wanted to post a couple of chapters as way of apologizing and so that I won't be so very far behind when I rejoin civilization. Enjoy and as always please review if you can. Thank You ;-)

Chapter Three

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'Kid, you just made the last mistake of your life.'

'God,' I said. 'I wish.' ― Jim Butcher

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The next few days passed with Jason's stomach twisted into a nervous knot as he wracked his brain for some plausible excuse for why he was entering a contest to try and _stop_ the very thing that was his _only way out_ of a potentially disastrous situation with the women in his life. Finally with the deadline for entering the competition fast approaching and no solution in site that didn't involve endangering either the life of the woman he loved or that of his friends, he took the first opportunity he could find to slip away from the house and list his name among the hopefuls to try out for a position in the games. With any luck what-so-ever, he'd fail his tryout and then he could honestly tell Ariadne there was nothing more he could do to stop her engagement. Unfortunately, for once his enviable good luck seemed to have deserted him, when he drew straws with the other hopefuls for the armed combat tryout and was thrice paired with opponents who didn't seem sure which end of the wooden practice sword they were supposed to be holding. The same held true for his opponents in the wrestling matches when his first opponent looked to be no older than fifteen and the remaining two would have made Pythagoras look fit as f* k had he been standing between them. In the end he was given a place in the single combat division ranked only two places below Heptarian, (the reigning champion).

Despite his situation, at first he'd been surprised and secretly a little pleased; that is until he saw his fellow contestants for his division when they'd all presented themselves before King Minos to receive the blessing of the war god Aries. Though there was a woman among the contestants, Jason held no belief that things were going to be easy from here on out. In fact he might not have to worry about finding a way out of the situation other than trying to not get pummeled too badly. Many of the best warriors in Greece were there. _Several_ of which were brawny enough they'd give anyone pause; and _all_ of them seasoned, with far more experience than he could ever hope to achieve in the remaining few weeks till the festival. Realizing he was in over his head once again, he knew he'd no choice but to tell his friends what he'd gotten himself into and hope they could figure a way out or at least a way that would allow him to live through the beatings he now knew he was in for.

As soon as the ceremony was completed and Minos had accepted him as a combatant, he headed back home anxious to talk to Pythagoras and Hercules, as well as think up a believable excuse to offer Alek as to why he was going to do something insane that could lead to serious injuries, _without_ having to admit it was at the request of another woman who he'd just happened to be having a somewhat romantic flirtation with at one time. Ironically his luck decided to make an appearance now that he was locked into the competition, when upon reaching the house he discovered Alek had gone out to see her friend Emineous. Taking advantage of her absence, Jason quickly explained to his two friends what he'd done, and asked them to help come up with a believable excuse to offer Alek for his entering the contest.

"Are you insane?" Hercules growled, glowering at the brunette, "Do you have any idea the level these men fight at? They train for years for this you idiot boy!"

"Oi!" Jason snapped back, "I know that _now_! Besides, it's not as if I had much of a _**choice**_ ; or did you forget the _hundreds_ of times you warned me about not letting Ariadne find out about Alek until she's been married off! What was I supposed to tell her? ' _Sorry Princess, but I suddenly can't help you for reasons I can't get into at this time_ ', Yeah that wouldn't have raised suspicions **_at all_**."

" _ **Enough!**_ " Pythagoras shouted, slapping the kitchen table with the flat of his hand, and instantly bringing the other two men to a standstill. The ginger haired young man rarely lost patience with his friends but when he did it always slightly amazed and awed them.

"Fighting about it _isn't_ helping," he continued calmer, "Jason's right Hercules; he couldn't very well flatly refuse to at least try to help without raising further suspicions from the Princess. It's been bloody hard enough trying to explain why he's been avoiding her as it is. There are only so many times she was going to accept our excuses of him being out hunting or at some job before she had him followed anyway. In fact I'm almost sure that's what happened already with the High Priest. Let's just be thankful they decided to send the messenger to the docks instead of the house. It would have been awkward trying to come up with an excuse for why the royal Princess was summoning Jason to a private meeting. What we have to do is figure out a way that it can _**appear**_ to Ariadne that Jason's helping without him having to actually compete past the first round."

Seeing Jason smirk at the burly wrestler, Pythagoras continued sharply, "Jason, Hercules is right as well. Even the first round of competition will be extremely dangerous. It is completely up to the individual winner of each match whether or not they allow their opponent to walk away from the defeat or simply kill them as being unworthy. These men will have _**years**_ of experience with these sort of matches, so they have to be the best of the best to have survived this long. Plus the choice of who faces whom in every round is completely random, and if you should be unlucky enough to be paired with Heptarian in the first match, you'll be faced with the choice of either defeating him and thereby still being linked romantically with the princess (at least in her eyes) or allowing him to defeat you, in which case Heptarian would most likely kill you out of spite and revenge for walking away from the bull court."

"So he has to be good enough to prevent Heptarian from killing him, but bad enough to lose during his first match without insulting his opponents' ego?" Hercules sputtered incredulously, "What happens if the other opponents want to kill him anyway too? I mean anyone crazy or desperate enough to make a living at this sort of thing is bound to have an ego as big as or bigger than Heptarian."

Pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, Jason dropped down onto one of the benches around the kitchen table. "If either of you can think of another solution that doesn't involve putting all our lives at risk I'm open to suggestions!" the brunette warrior snapped impatiently, "Otherwise can we turn our attention to figuring how to explain to Alek why I'm doing this at all as well as a way I can actually survive this thing please?"

The ginger had drawn back from Jason's anger with a hurt expression on his face, causing the brunette warrior to immediately feel awful for losing his patience with his best friends.

"Look, I'm sorry," Jason sighed, "I didn't mean to snap at you; it's just this whole bloody mess has me on edge."

Pythagoras sighed a long suffering sigh, and patted Jason's shoulder, "I know my friend and I forgive you, but you do realize the best and easiest solution to this predicament is to tell Alek the truth; she loves you dearly and I'm sure she'd forgive you."

Hercules snorted cynically, "That's because you're a fool who still doesn't understand women. Alek is a woman and in my experience _**no**_ woman is going to simply forget or forgive her man going astray—"

"But technically I never went astray," Jason interrupted looking between his two friends hopefully.

"I think she'd consider mooning over the Princess and risking your life for her left, right, and center as going astray" Hercules stated flatly, "Not to mention the moonlight stroll after that whole incident with her brother—"

"and the kiss on the cheek" interrupted Pythagoras helpfully, "Don't forget about that, you were mooning over that for days."

Jason clutched both fists in his curly brown locks for a moment and stared at his friends slightly frantic, "I'm screwed aren't I? Royally freaking _**screwed**_!"

"Now, now, I'm sure we can figure this out if we just stay calm" Pythagoras said soothingly before turning a frown at the big man on Jason's other side, "Besides Hercules, we're talking about _**Alek**_ , not the blacksmith's daughter, or the baker's daughter, Maia, or any of a dozen others I could name."

"True," Hercules replied seriously, "but are you positive Alek will see it that way, and if not are you willing to risk it?" he asked turning to Jason.

While Jason _was_ positive that Alek was nothing like any of the women Hercules had tended to romance before Medusa, he was _also_ self-conscience enough about people in his past leaving that he wasn't willing to risk losing Alek again for anything.

"I'd rather the princess and Alek _never_ find out about each other at all to be honest" he told his two friends, "At least not until after Ariadne is married and I've figured out a way to explain to Alek so that she doesn't take my head off."

"Smart man," Hercules chuckled ignoring Pythagoras' scowl, "now we just need a good believable excuse to give Alek for why you're competing and then get you trained up a bit so you can at least stay alive long enough to throw your first match."

At this Hercules and Jason both turned expectantly to Pythagoras. "Why me," the ginger mathematician wailed, pointing an accusatory finger at his two flat-mates, "why do _I_ always have to think up a way out of _your_ messes?"

"Because you're the smart one" Hercules stated promptly,

"Because you're my best friend" Jason chimed in simultaneously.

Sighing in defeat, Pythagoras began to pace, muttering to himself as he pondered then rejected various plans. Finally he turned to face the two sitting around the table. "The most believable lie is one that is the closest to the truth," he said slowly, "What we need is an excuse that smacks of truth _without_ revealing the whole truth."

Hercules snorted his agreement while Jason continued to stare hopefully at Pythagoras. The mathematician heaved another long sigh and shook his head as if dealing with particularly dense children,

"Hercules competitions of this sort are rather prestigious correct?" the young genius queried slowly as if trying to lead the other two to an obvious answer.

"Yes-s-s" replied Hercules slowly, "but what's that got to do—"

"And aren't many of the competitors _champions_ of their home kingdoms, who've preformed great deeds for their liege and are therefore basically _**bound**_ to compete by that liege?" Pythagoras continued.

"Some of them are" the burly wrestler nodded, "I know Harmon is the champion from Cypress, but what's that got to do with explaining why Jason's having to compete?"

"I'm getting to that, give me time please" the ginger flapped his hand at the big man to be quiet. "There's also I believe a rather large gold purse awarded to the winner of each division—"

"Yes there is!" Hercules interrupted with excitement, "Pythagoras you're a genius! If Jason wins the purse, we can all move to Athens and grow breads! Well, all except Alek of course, she'd doesn't have the right chin to carry off a beard—not that she wouldn't still look lovely if she had a beard!" he tried to assure Jason as the brunette scowled in his direction, "But still…Plus the Princess can't find us in Athens so you know it's a win-win all round."

Pythagoras sighed, closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose and counted to ten before shaking his head and continuing, "No Hercules, for the millionth time, we _**are not**_ growing beards and moving to Athens. We will tell Alek that Jason was ' _asked_ ' to compete as the city's champion since killing the Minotaur and that he agreed to the request not only because it was for all intents and purposes " _ **a command"**_ from the palace, but also to try to win the gold so that the renovations to the house can be completed before his and Alek's wedding next summer."

"That actually may work" the brunette regarded Pythagoras slightly awed, "A ' _request_ ' from the king can't exactly be ignored; not even where we're originally from in England. Alek might not be happy about something like that but it's at least something she'd understand."

"Great work again my friend" Hercules chuckled slapping Pythagoras on the shoulder and nearly driving the scrawny genius to his knees, "Now we just have to figure out how to get Jason trained up enough that he can make a believable showing without getting too beaten up in the process."

"Yeah, that'd be nice too" Jason nodded with feeling, "It's not that I'd mind a pummeling too bad, I've gotten enough of those before; but if it got too bad I wouldn't put it past Alek to charge the arena and try to take out the guy herself."

Hercules chuckled, "Actually I can picture her doing just that! Can't you just imagine the look on Heptarian's face if she flipped him on his arse like she did Jason the day she moved in here?"

"Unfortunately yes" Pythagoras replied shaking his head, "Which would likely land all of us in the dungeons. Jason that's going to be your first job; convincing Alek that no matter what, she cannot interfere. I know she has a strong sense of justice and right from wrong but you are no longer living in your native ' _ **In-ga-land**_ '."

The ginger frowned as his tongue tried to twist around the unfamiliar word before continuing, "Once that's done, then it's just a matter of getting out of the city so you can practice without being observed by any spies, the palaces or otherwise."

"Where are we going?" Jason asked curiously.

"The forest naturally" responded Pythagoras logically, "We've been planning a camping trip anyway; we'll just have to try to extend it until the Pankration starts so as to keep you out of sight of the Princess, _and_ give you as much training time as possible. Hercules and I can help you train, and Alek can practice her herb lore as well as her archery."

"That's perfect" Jason replied relieved, "We'll leave first thing in the morning."

"We'll leave at the end of this month as planned," Hercules said gruffly, "There's always a gap in trade before the summer festivals begin. None of the sailors are willing to miss the celebrations, so the cargo captains try to make sure that they're in port at least two weeks before the summer solstice to prevent any chances of a mutiny. The only ships that'll be running between then and the end of the solstice will be passenger ships and we don't deal with those anyway."

Jason scowled at the big man, "But if we wait until then, it'll leave me less than a full month to train" he argued, "I'd rather not avoid being found out by dying Hercules!"

"Pfitt!" spat the burly wrestler sarcastically, "You're not going to _die_ , so stop being so overdramatic; besides we can't leave Bion up in the air for workers this late into the season. It'd jeopardize our chance at getting re-hired to work there _**next**_ trading season, not to mention raise suspicions with anyone that might be watching you. Pythagoras is right, just because the Princess thinks you're on board with her plan now that you're competing _**doesn't**_ mean anyone Heptarian or the Queen might have watching you now would be fooled. You'll just have to lay low and try to avoid the palace spies and the temple priests until then lover boy."

"I'm afraid Hercules is right Jason" Pythagoras commiserated with his dark haired friend, "Besides if you plan on being able to support your future wife, you can't very well risk losing the only steady safe job we've found so far."

Jason nodded grudgingly, "You're right, both of you" he sighed, "It's just going to get awfully nerve wracking over the next week or so never knowing if I'm being watched or not. In fact it's a bloody miracle no one seems to have questioned Alek coming and going already. I'm positive Ariadne still doesn't know about her or she would have mentioned it when I spoke to her at the temple—"

"Be thankful for small favors from the gods" snorted Hercules.

"But why would the Queen suddenly decided to set a spy on me?" the brunette continued with a frown.

"There's no guarantee that she has or will" replied Pythagoras honestly, "but from what we know so far of her attempts on your life, I'd be willing to bet that she's going to take a keen interest in your competing. I'd go so far as to say it might be worth your while to purchase one of the blessed amulets from the temple to ward off any chances of a hex like the one she attempted during our stay in the bull court."

"Great, just great!" Jason moaned, propping his elbows on the table and cushioning his head in his hands, "I not only have to convince Alek to not interfere during the competition, _and_ worry about palace spies, but now I also have to worry about a psychotic Queen trying to turn my guts into a pincushion."

Pythagoras patted his friends shoulder comfortingly, "I'll say it again Jason; you could always come clean with Alek. That would alleviate a lot of the pressure from you and more than half your problems."

Jason looked as if he was seriously considering that option, before looking over at Pythagoras through his fingers, "If I did, do you think they'd let me withdraw from the competition?" he asked the mathematician seriously.

"I'm afraid it's too late for that my boy" Hercules answered for the ginger, "Once you received the blessing from the King, you're locked into the contest until you either win or are defeated and disqualified. To try to withdraw now would be seen as an insult to the gods _**and**_ blasphemy. Which as you may have figured out by now carries a death sentence in this city."

Jason dropped his forehead onto the surface of the table and pounded it softly several times before looking back up at his friends resigned. "If I gotta do this anyway then I'd rather just go ahead and try to get it over with, with as little added problems as necessary then" he sighed, "We'll go with your original plan Pythagoras and hope I can train as much as possible before the festival."

"And Alek?" the ginger asked sympathetically.

"We'll go with your plan on that as well" Jason nodded, "With any luck at all things won't get any more complicated than they are now, and I can manage to make a good enough showing during my first match to throw it without it looking _too_ suspicious to Ariadne _or_ insulting my opponent enough they decide to kill me out of spite _and_ somehow stay under the Queen's radar enough she doesn't hex me into a toad."

"Or a pig" added Hercules helpfully.

In spite of the seriousness of the situation Jason had to chuckle a bit at that, which of course was Hercules intention all along. Despite everything and no matter how much the big man grumbled about the two boys and the gray hairs they gave him, they both knew the burly wrestler would walk through fire for them. Now Alek was a part of the family, and surprisingly Hercules seemed determined to act as her defender and champion in most things even against 'his boys' on the rare occasion he thought it was warranted, almost as if she were the daughter he might have otherwise had. Jason hoped nothing would ever happen that would take him away from Alek's side, but he was also positive that if anything ever did, both of Hercules and Pythagoras would fight to the death to protect her and that meant more to him than he could ever express. Ariadne's marriage couldn't come soon enough as far as he was concerned; then he could relax and concentrate of making a life with Alek in Atlantis. With his friends by his side and a plan at last in place, Jason finally felt some of the tension that had been knotting his stomach release; after all what else could possibly go wrong?


	5. Chapter Four

AN: This chapter needs a bit of explaining. It's going to be a sort of flashback sequence that is going to fill in some information about what Alek has been up to while Jason is busy being basically blackmailed into competing in the Pankration by Ariadne. It'll basically bridge different points of view between Alek and Jason and eventually bring the story together. I hope it will answer some of the questions that have been asked by you the readers and make things a bit clearer in the end. Enjoy

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Chapter Four

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"…the road to hell is paved with good intentions…"—Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153 A.D)

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Alek sat on a stool in the shade of an olive tree idly chatting with Emineous while the elderly baker sold her wares in the agora, and reflecting on how she had allowed herself to be drawn into the rhythm of life in Atlantis. It hadn't been her plan to come to Atlantis; when she had agreed to help Mac try to discover what had really happened to Jason all those months ago, Alek been almost certain that all they would accomplish would be to force Mac to accept that his godson had been lost in the wreckage of his sub. She'd certainly never expected to find her fiancé alive and well and living in an ancient mythological city nearly 2700 years in the past. For the longest time after arriving in Atlantis and finding Jason, Alek had expected to wake up any minute and find it was all a dream cooked up by her subconscious as a way of coping with the loss of the man she loved. Eventually though she had been forced to accept that however fantastical the situation was, it was most definitely real. She supposed that nearly getting slaughtered like a sacrificial lamb by a mad priest who just happened to be part werewolf tended to do that to a person, but still, it all really sounded like a plot from a cheap sci-fi show than real life. Yet there was a certain freedom to acceptance. By letting go of the scientific part of herself, she was free to just accept and enjoy the bliss of being with Jason once again, which was most definitely better than the alternative of just drifting through the sham of a life she had been living prior to her little time traveling adventure.

As the days had turned to weeks, the expectation of waking up to find herself back in modern day London had gradually given way to acceptance and excitement that she had actually succeeded in not only reuniting with her soulmate but had skipped through time to do so. The anthropologist in her was fascinated by the opportunity to study firsthand how her ancestors had lived, while the adaptable side of her tried to blend in and accept the situation she now found herself in. Adapting was something Alek had learned to do from an early age. She'd adapted to moving from place to place as her parents chased archeological digs all across the United Kingdom as well as France that necessitated her having to constantly change schools. She'd adapted to the hurt of having her father abandon her when her parents began having trouble and eventually divorced, and finally of being the weird girl in class whose mum and Nona danced naked under the full moon and worshipped ancient Greek Gods and Goddesses. Jason was the first person other than her family that she'd never felt awkward around. Somehow they seemed to 'click', to fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. So it wouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone who really knew Alek to find that not long after finding Jason, she should become a part of his new family.

Eventually it was only natural for someone with her personality to come to know and care for the other people who were important to Jason. Pythagoras was like the older geeky brother she'd always wanted. The mathematician was someone she could sit up all night with and discuss philosophy, cultures, and ideals. Hercules was like an uncle, who while often tactless and gruff was always there to offer a shoulder to cry on and was a faithful defender when needed. Ultimately, as she integrated herself further and further into the life of the little house, she'd learned about Medusa, and Hercules' love for her. She'd been unable to help liking the slightly older woman and found once they'd become friends, that they shared a lot in common. They were both strong women who would sacrifice everything for the ones they loved, but that didn't mean they didn't have a temper of their own when those loved ones intentionally screwed up. She'd been shocked and more than a little skeptical when Medusa had told her the story of how Hercules had been turned into a pig and Medusa cursed by a siren's call, but had agreed with her new friend that there was definitely better ways of Hercules expressing his feelings for Medusa other than by trying to trick her with a spell.

Being a generally positive person, Alek's nature was to be happy, and to want those friends and family around her to be happy as well. So she let Hercules talk her into getting Medusa to come round to forgiving him for his dealings with Circe. In return Alek convinced the big man that if he truly loved Medusa then he had to make some changes that took into consideration what was important for not just himself, but Medusa as well. To that end, they started by putting the burly wrestler on a strict alcohol limit. Once he'd managed to get over the worst of the withdrawals, he found it was easier to be the kind of man who could be responsible and caring. Less drinking left more money to either save toward hard times, or occasionally spend on trinkets and outings for his lady love, like a new shawl or perhaps a moon-lit dinner at one of the nicer inns or taverns. Granted the big man didn't lose his rough exterior, but being sober gave him a clearer picture on life and how it just might not be too late for happiness with the woman he loved.

Once Alek had convinced Hercules he wasn't too old for a long term relationship, and she and Pythagoras managed to get the burly wrestler sober, it didn't take much more prodding to convince the big man that the best chance of having a life with Medusa, was keeping a regular j-o-b. A steady job meant responsibility, security, and a solid foundation. In a place like Atlantis where routine hunger was a part of life, that security was worth more than all the flattering speeches he'd so far relied on. To Hercules credit, once he made up his mind to a particular course of action, the big man was like a bull, nothing could divert him from his goal. It was Hercules who found steady work on the docks for the men of the house, and surprisingly it was he who made sure they were at work on time every day.

So while the boys had regular, (if seasonal) work at the docks as unloaders and porters, and Medusa had her job at the palace kitchens, Alek was left to twiddle her thumbs all day alone at the house. There was only so much cooking and cleaning she could endure, and being idle chaffed at her nerves and temper. Unfortunately her major work related skills were suited toward science and anthropology, but Atlantis offered very little in that regard, and even less so for a woman. She tried exploring the city, but as Jason had warned her before, there were simply too many places it was unwise for a woman to be in alone. Consequently she spent most of her days at the city's main agora keeping Emineous company, while the old baker sold her wares. It was during one of these long boring days that Alek stumbled on a steady income herself.

She had been talking to Emineous, telling her about the boys' love of the 'cheesecakes' she'd invented during that first supper after moving in. Emineous had been fascinated and wondered if Alek would be willing to bring her a sample of the dish. That evening, Alek had made two of the desserts, taking one to her friend the next morning. After tasting it, Emineous had immediately wanted to know if Alek would be willing to sell her the recipe. They eventually agreed that Alek would go into business with the older woman. Alek would teach her how to make the sweets as well as split the costs of producing the delicacies; in turn Emineous would give Alek half of all the profits from the sale of the cakes. In addition if Alek came up with any other types of treats, then she could sell them from Emineous' stall as well and split the profits evenly. It wasn't long before her hobby of cooking and experimenting with different spices and flavors lead to a fairly steady stream of income.

Together with Jason's income from regular odd jobs at the docks, and what was left of the string of coins she'd arrived in Atlantis with, when their neighbor Linos finally decided to make the move to Athens, the couple was able to purchase his house and start expanding their home as Hercules had suggested all those months ago. Granted it would take most of the next year to complete the remodel joining the two homes together and still give everyone their own space, and still longer to completely furnish the new house the way they wanted, but it was nice to have something to work towards. In addition to everything else, Alek had talked Pythagoras into teaching her everything he knew about herbs and healing. Alek had been less than enthusiastic about what passed for healthcare in ancient Greece; but after being there for a few months, an old aliment raised its ugly head again and she was left with no choice but to trust in Pythagoras' knowledge of healing.

The occasion occurred about three months after she'd arrived in Atlantis. Her usual bout with summer allergies had somehow managed to follow her, despite her being nearly 2700 years and several countries away from its usual triggers. Convinced she was doomed without access to her Claritin and Opticrom eye drops not to mention good old fashion Paracetamol, Jason had finally convinced her to let Pythagoras try to help. While the ginger genius's tonics and poultices tended to make the disgusting tasting modern remedies seem like a gourmet treat, over time they did the job. Armed with a new found respect for her ancestors' constitution, and with the knowledge that she very well might be stuck in this time period the rest of her life, Alek decided to learn as much as possible about the available medical treatments of the time.

Starting with every old wives tale and home remedy she'd ever heard of or experienced at the hands of her Nona's home treatment, she set out to separate fact from fiction and learn what she could. Her studies began with local herbs and remedies as Pythagoras' new assistant. He was a patient teacher and her studies were going well as she and the boys made frequent trips out into the surrounding forests so that she could learn not only what each medicinal plant looked like but how and where to find it in every stage of growth. Since Atlantis and the surrounding countryside were so near the Mediterranean Sea, it didn't have a true 'winter' season like England did. Although there were distant mountains that kept snow covered peaks year round and it wasn't unheard of for the higher regions to get snow, the coldest weather normally found where they were was the chilly winter rains. Because there was such a long growth season however, most people were able to either gather and store or buy enough herbs to easily last throughout the harsher rainy season.

It turned out to be significantly harder to find a surgeon willing to teach a woman how to set broken bones and stitch up wounds. Finally Pythagoras convinced his mentor Daedalus to at least meet Alek. The impatient and grouchy old man seemed amazed to find a female of all people with a logical, scientific mind who wasn't afraid to try new experiments. Her modern education came in handy when after a harsh examination, he found she not only knew every bone, and organ, but also understood its function as well. When he quizzed her and discovered her as dismissive of the current notions of 'bad humors' and 'spirits' as he was, she was finally deemed worthy of becoming his student and he set out to teach her everything he knew about human anatomy and the treatment of illness and injury.

Fortunately, (or perhaps unfortunately depending on how you wanted to look at it), despite his apparent agility and natural grace, Jason still remained accident prone enough that there was no shortage of wounds for her to practice on, ranging from simple contusions to cuts, burns, and fractures. The first time she went with the boys on a hunt for wild boar, the dark haired warrior had managed to get in the way of the wild pigs tusk when the animal had charged Pythagoras, forcing Jason to shove the young genius out of the way, and getting a nasty gash torn in his leg for his trouble. When Hercules and Pythagoras had carried him back into camp, Alek had been unable to hold her breakfast down when she'd seen the ragged flesh of his leg gaping wide enough to show the bone beneath. After she'd recovered from losing her breakfast, she'd forced herself to at least appear calm and then had gamely sat at Pythagoras' side learning how to use boiled water and salt to sterilize the thread and needle, and once the water cooled how to wash out any debris from the wound before stitching it up.

As he worked over his patient, Pythagoras had coached her on how to distance herself from the person she was treating so as to have a steady hand when pushing a needle through skin in order to make even stitches in ragged flesh, and how to tie each stitch off in such a way that it could be easily removed once the wound healed enough to stay closed on its own. Through the entire episode, Jason had sat silent and motionless, gripping a stick between his teeth, a faint sheen of sweat on his upper lip as together Alek and his ginger-haired flat-mate had stitched up his leg. After Pythagoras finished sewing Jason up yet again, he instructed Alek to pour strong distilled spirits he carried in his medical kit over the wound in order to kill out any infection that might set in before packing calendula, yarrow, and devil's claw herbs over it and wrapping it in a clean bandage. With the worst of the treatment over, Pythagoras had given Jason a tonic to help relieve the pain and to reduce the chance of fever. Praising his pupil at her gentle touch and steady nerves, Pythagoras left her to stay with Jason while he went with Hercules to bring back the boar they'd killed.

For his part, Jason was content to drift off to sleep with Alek stroking his brow as the tonic Pythagoras had given him began to take effect. Alek smiled softly down at him as the faint lines of pain etched across his face smoothed out and disappeared as he drifted off to sleep. When she was sure he was sound asleep, she carefully moved his head off her lap and onto the rolled up blanket at the top of his bedroll just as Hercules and Pythagoras staggered back into camp carrying the large boar between them. When she attempted to take her mind off Jason's injury by peppering the men with endless questions about why Hercules was doing certain tasks concerning the butchering, the burly wrestler had quickly become frustrated enough that he had decided the best way for her to learn was to help. Pressed ganged into taking Pythagoras' place, Alek had subsequently found herself elbow deep in pig innards as Hercules taught her how to gut and field dress game quickly in order to prevent the meat from spoiling before they could get it back to the city.

Afterwards, Hercules buried the offal, while Pythagoras had patiently explained how and why they must burn the animals' heart in offering to the Goddess Artemis in thanks for the successful hunt. Although she still had trouble believing in wasting food in offerings to Gods that seldom (if ever) did anything to actually help the people who worshipped them, she'd remained silent, instead choosing to look at it as a way to study yet another aspect of the culture she now lived in. The boars head along with the remaining meat was butchered into manageable chunks and tied up inside the skin of the animal, (which Hercules would later tan and make into leather) and hung from a tree to prevent predators from making off with the meat in the night. All in all it was rather bloodier than she was used to and she'd never look at bacon the same way again, but it was lessons that had to be learned in order to survive.

Once night set in Hercules had regaled them with stories of his misspent youth growing up in Atlantis as he whittled a crutch to make walking home the next day easier on Jason, while Pythagoras and Alex fried up the boar's liver along with wild onions to go with the tubers they had roasting in the coals of the campfire. From that day on whenever they went into the woods, either Jason or Hercules took it upon himself to teach her how to identify different animal tracks, as well as where the likeliest places were to find game. Pythagoras taught her how to tell edible plants, nuts, and berries from ones used for medicine or that were poison as well as lending a hand along with Jason in teaching her how to make her own arrows and how to shoot a bow. It had taken most of that first summer, but the day she'd finally managed to bring down her first rabbit had been cause for celebration.

In return for all her lessons, Alek managed to talk Jason into letting her impart at least _**some**_ of the knowledge she had about different cultures and customs. While she'd agreed it wasn't wise to share anything that could be directly related to either house-mate or any of the significant people of the time, general things like how different cultures made use of certain resources should be safe enough. So she taught Pythagoras how to make a sturdy form of paper from shredding old rags and boiling the fibers along with fine sawdust and then straining the resulting pulp and pressing it into a wooden form using large stones until it dried, as well as how to make different colors of ink from different plants, nuts, and berries. In addition to the paper and ink making, she began brewing a special form of 'small beer' that she'd learned to make the summer she'd spent in northern Wales with her paternal grandmother, to help Hercules with his drinking. It had the taste and thick 'head' of regular beer or ale but contained next to no alcohol as the wheat and hops weren't allowed to ferment as long. After the success of the first batch, Jason had asked if she would be able to re-create a drink she used to make for Mac and he back home called switchel.

While she had no access to molasses, she was able to make a delicious version of the drink using honey instead. Combined with the usual apple vinegar, ginger and lemons the drink replenished electrolytes and potassium lost from sweat as well as giving the drinker a good energy boost and became such a hit with the entire household that she began making large bi-weekly batches and storing it in the empty wine amphorae that had previously cluttered the house. When Jason gave one of the older men working at the docks his jar of switchel after the man collapsed from the heat, it was such a hit that several of the workers started asking to buy it from Alek on a near daily basis, until she was finally forced to add it to the list of things she had for sale in the agora. Jason and the others had to admit that life in Atlantis had definitely taken an upswing for the three bachelors since Alek had come into their lives. Now there were no more hungry days, there was another person to help when one of them were sick or injured, and a fairly steady stream of income meant that each of them could build a nest egg of savings for future needs.

A loud cough drew Alek's thoughts back to the present and she looked up to see Emineous smiling at her. "I'm sorry Emineous," she blushed, "I didn't mean to wool gather, what were you saying?"

The elderly baker laughed, "Thinking of that young man of yours again I gather?"

Alek blushed redder, and nodded, "A bit yes," she admitted, "We don't get to see each other as much through the day since he found steady work at the docks and I'm training as a healer."

"Not to worry youngling, I remember what it is to be in love" Emineous chuckled continuing, "I was just asking what you had planned for yourself today."

"More lessons I'm afraid," Alek replied, "Daedalus is testing me on the methods and treatments for gangrene in wound care. I fear it won't be a pleasant lesson."

Emineous frowned, "Why would you want to do that? Surely there are other things you could study if you're determined to be educated."

Alek sighed, knowing how strange people here found it for a female to have any sort of education. Most would be scandalized to discover that she could read and write, anything more and they would consider it improper. "You know I want to study healing," Alek replied firmly, "I want to be able to help people; and besides Jason is so accident prone I have to know as much as possible if we're to make our lives here."

"Well just be careful," the old woman cautioned, "next thing you'll be trying to heal lepers. Some people are just cursed, it's the god's will and nothing you can do will change that" Emineous finished stubbornly.

Shaking her head at her friends' superstitions, Alek bid her farewell and set off back toward home. Jason had been gone this morning when she woke up and had subsequently missed breakfast. Knowing he'd be hungry when he got home, she wanted to have lunch prepared as soon as possible.

When Alek entered the house, lunch was in full swing. Hercules, Pythagoras, and Jason where gathered around the table enjoying the leftovers from breakfast. Bread soaked in a mixture of eggs, milk, honey, and spices then fried along with sausages and thick slices of ham that she'd prepared early that morning.

"Delicious." Hercules sighed as he finished off the last bite of sausage on his plate, "I don't know where the idea for soaking bread into raw eggs came from, but I'm glad you thought of it. You've a rare gift for food Alek. I can't for the life of me figure out why you'd want to waste it on him though" he eyed Jason with a shake of his head.

"Hey!" Jason scowled at the large man, "I'm sitting right here you know."

Alek laughed at the two, "Oh it's just something I picked up from my mum I suppose" she replied evasively. She'd quickly learned that Hercules' mock distain for her dark haired love was just his gruff way of showing affection, coupled with his natural tendencies to flirt with any woman between fourteen and forty that happened to be in his general vicinity.

"I heard some interesting gossip while I was visiting Emineous this morning," Alek told the men as she busily made herself a sandwich of cold ham, lettuce and thick slices of crusty wheat bread, "Apparently there's going to be some big competition held during the summer festival to celebrate one of the royals getting engaged."

Unnoticed by Alek, the three men looked at each other uneasily. Hercules nudged Jason, prompting him to clear his throat, "Yeah, about that" the brunette warrior replied nervously, "I actually have a bit of news myself about the Pankration; I've signed up for one of the competitions."

Alek frowned as she sat down at the table with her food, "What kind of competition? I gathered from Emineous that it was only for the military types."

"Oh no," Hercules told her rubbing his hands together, "it's open to anyone that wants to compete—and best of all there'll be free wine and pies for the whole city."

"You don't drink anymore remember?" Alek replied, absently watching Jason, "So what sort of competition did you say you were signing up for exactly?"

"Uh, it's hard to explain" Jason hedged, "but I signed up for the main event."

Alek snorted into her mug of switchel laughing, "You sound as if you're going to be wrestling Nigel McGuinness" she teased.

"Jason doesn't do wrestling" Hercules muttered, remembering the brunette's refusal to even consider wrestling as a way of making money when Alek had first moved in. When Jason glared at him and kicked his shin underneath the table the burly wrestler clamped his lips shut and retreated back into his tankard of small beer.

"So, what will you be doing?" Alek asked Jason curiously.

"I'm competing in single combat" the brunette warrior replied off-handily, trying to appear as if it wasn't a big deal.

Alek frowned, "Single combat? Surely you don't mean what I think you mean?" she looked from Jason to his two friends.

Pythagoras was avoiding her gaze and Hercules seemed to have found something interesting in the bottom of his glass. "You don't mean with actual weapons do you?" she asked Jason sharply, afraid that she already knew the answer.

"It's just a small knife—" Jason started to reply only to be cut off by Hercules.

"It's two unarmed opponents, a knife in the sand, and no rules" the big man cut in excitedly, "The first to draw blood wins; it's something to see, believe me, and free pies! What could be better? Ow!"

This time it had been Pythagoras who had kicked the burly wrestler under the table, and rather harder than he'd meant too.

"Why in god's name would you want to do something like that!?" Alek gasped, looking at Jason incredulously, "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"I'm not going to get killed," Jason replied scowling at Hercules, "he's just made it sound worse than it really is; yes I may get a scratch from the knife whe—I mean _if_ I lose, but I've had much worse believe me. Besides I didn't really get the option of not competing" he muttered avoiding her gaze.

"What do you mean you don't have the option to not compete?" she asked the brunette warrior, "Of course you have the option, just don't bloody do it."

"Ahem" Pythagoras took that moment to jump into the argument and try to spare his two friends further hurt feelings, "Jason's participation was sort of mandatory" he told Alek carefully, "as the cities champion since slaying the Minotaur, he is expected to represent the palace and kingdom in the games. So you see, he doesn't really have a choice but to compete up to a certain point" he told Alek calmly.

"What do you mean ' _he's expected to compete_ ' they can't force someone to fight who doesn't want to! C-can they?" she looked from one to another of the men outraged.

"Alek" Jason replied reaching out to take her hand in his, "this isn't home…remember? Watching people in an arena is going to be the main form of entertainment for a long time to come. But everything is going to be ok, I promise."

"You can't promise that though" Alek argued as she crossed her arms and stared hard at Jason, "You can't guarantee that nothing will happen to you—nothing was supposed to happen to you when you went down in the sub either but it did! You wound up here and I almost lost you forever, besides you're not telling me something I can tell, there's more to this than just a palace command."

"There's a gold purse for the victor, it'd be the equivalent of what I could make in a whole season on the docks" the brunette warrior stammered in a rush, staring at a point just above Alek's head so he didn't have to look her in the eye and lie, "And I…I-I thought that if I won, then maybe we'd have enough saved that we could get married sooner. Like maybe at _this_ summer's festival… plus we could finish the renovations before winter, that is if you wanted to…get married sooner I mean" he finished hopefully.

Alek sighed, "You don't have to resort to doing this" she said seriously, "We're making a decent income from the bakery and you have your job at the docks—"

Jason sprang to his feet, "I don't have a choice! Don't you get that?! If I cross the wrong people, we could all end up with a noose around our necks!" he shouted beginning to pace like a caged lion, "Besides, the docks are only temporary—you know that! Once the winter storms begin there's not going to be enough ships coming in to support the temporary workers. Bion will only be able to employ his regulars. Plus less trade ships mean less money for everyone; no one is going to have spare coins for cakes or spiced drinks at the agora, so what little we've saved will have to go to seeing us through the winter and it will still be lean at best. I'm supposed to support and look after you, not live off your wages like some bum! We'll be right back to being broke by spring, and have to start all over! Besides like Pythagoras said it's all already been decided and there's no changing it now. We're just going to have to accept it and try to make the best of it as we can, now can we please just drop it?"

Alek stared at him open-mouthed for a second before shivering as a flash of heat shot down her spine and her brows drew down into a fierce scowl. She was on her feet in a flash, toe to toe with the brunette warrior.

" _Excuse me_? Who exactly do you think you're talking to boy-o?" she growled poking him in the chest with one suddenly extremely sharp nail.

"I'm not _supporting_ you, _**we're**_ supporting _**each other**_!" she snarled indicating the two of them, her eyes flashing silver for a split second, "But if you think for one second that once we get married, I'm going to set around on my arse and be little Suzy homemaker you're bloody well _**dreaming**_! I will not be ruled by anyone! Not by my husband, and especially not by some palace fop—we are a team, an _equal_ team or you can bloody well forget getting married at all!"

The longer she'd spoke the angrier she'd gotten until finally both hands were clenched into fists at her side, and the very air around her had seemed to vibrate. All of them jumped when abruptly out of nowhere a deafening clap of thunder shook the house. As one they turned to look out of the balcony windows, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

"Ahem," Pythagoras cleared his throat nervously; "Alek, while I share your concern, I'm afraid there really is no choice for Jason at this point" he commiserated with his favorite pupil, "He has been accepted as a contestant already. If Jason should try to back out now, it would be seen as blasphemy and he could be sentenced to either death by stoning or a lifetime of slave labor in the salt mines. At this point the only option we have is to try to help him prepare enough that he can make it through the first match, at which time he can _legally_ withdraw from the competition. Until then it's up to the Gods I'm afraid."

Alek stared at the trio open-mouthed for a moment before snapping her jaw closed. Spinning on her heel, she silently picked up her satchel containing her parchment and quills and left the house slamming the door behind her and heading for the quarter of the city where Daedalus lived, leaving the three men to stare after her concerned. Once the door closed after her, Hercules swung around on Jason and slapped him soundly on the back of the head. "Ow!" yelped the brunette rubbing the spot and glaring at his burly friend, "What the bloody hell was that for?"

"For _kicking_ me and for your _**stupidity**_!" Hercules roared, "Not to mention for your inability to admit when you're wrong! That girl is the best thing that will ever happen to you and you go treating her like she's supposed to be _grateful to be with you_ instead of the other way around!"

The burly wrestler glared at Jason fiercely, "If you do happen to survive the Pankration, you'll be damned lucky if she'll still have you. There's no use winning the battle boy if you lose the war, now go apologize and pray you still have a woman that'll have you!"

"But you're the one that keeps telling me not to be honest with her!" Jason roared back.

Hercules shook his head disgusted, "You're not that dumb Jason, regardless of how often you like to pretend you are. There's a difference between not telling the whole truth and treating her like some silly female who's too dumb to reason things out; or were you expecting her to just blindly accept any fool stunt you decide to get talked into like the rest of us? Personally I thought you had a higher opinion of Alek than that."

Jason stared at his two flat-mates in shock for a moment before dropping his head in shame, "I've made a mess of things as usual" he muttered dejectedly, dropping back down onto one of the kitchen benches "I'm sorry, truly."

Pythagoras patted his friends shoulder, "We know Jason." The ginger haired genius smiled at his brunette friend, "It's nothing we're not used to by now…"

Hercules snorted in agreement drawing a frown from Pythagoras before the mathematician continued, "But perhaps Hercules is right on this occasion and you should go apologize to Alek."

Jason sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I know, I know, and honestly I don't know what caused me to lose my temper like that. I guess I just panicked. I'm not used to having to juggle multiple women; not to mention having to keep all the lies and half-truths straight in my head. I swear to the gods, I'll be so damned relieved when this is all over and Ariadne is married."

"You and me both…" cut in Hercules.

Jason smiled at his two best friends briefly, "I guess I better catch up to Alek and beg forgiveness" he muttered dragging himself out of his chair and toward the door.

Jason jogged down the steps and headed toward the street where Daedalus lived, reasoning that was where Alek was headed since she'd grabbed her scribe's satchel when she'd went out the door. ' _She must really be angry_ ' he thought several streets later when he still hadn't caught up. Turning another corner, he finally spotted a familiar head of dark hair in the crowd ahead. She was standing with a small cluster of people gathered around one of the small dais' dotted throughout the city at strategic points and used to announce important news, listening to one of the city criers who was reading from a scroll of parchment. "…shall report to the temple of Poseidon on the day assigned. Further instructions will be given at that time to the ones chosen", having finished reading the decree, the crier tacked the notice up on the side of the building next to the crier's box and stepped down, leaving those who could read to peruse the notice further while he made his way to the next announcement point in his section of the city.

Excited murmuring broke out amongst the crowd as soon as the man stepped away. Jason shouldered his way through the crowd to Alek's side, and taking hold of her elbow asked if they could talk for a moment. Nodding mutely, she followed him out of the crowd and toward a shaded alleyway stacked with crates and barrels. Jason led her to the end abutting one of the many guard walls scattered thought out the city and upturned two crates for them to sit on. Alek sat down saying nothing as she waited for him to speak. Jason looked at his hands for a moment before beginning.

"I'm sorry" he said simply, looking up at her, "I shouldn't have lost my temper and I most definitely shouldn't have said what I said. You're right, we _are_ a team, and I know how hard it's been for you being here. It was hard for me too at first. There are so many things that are different from where we came from, and I know…I know it's harder for you because you were _never meant_ to be here, shouldn't _have_ to be here."

He dropped his head and stared miserably at his sandals, "If I'd only been able to let go of my past, and my dad disappearing…we'd be in England right now, and married already, and I _**know**_ that. I also know you're the best thing that will ever, could ever happen to me, and I have no right to speak to you the way I did, here or in England or anywhere else for that matter… I guess,…I-I know it's no excuse Alek, but I don't want things to be harder on you than they have to be" he looked up at her desperately, "I don't want you to have to work your fingers to the bone like Medusa does or your friend Emineous. You shouldn't have to work twice as hard as anyone else just because you're a woman. You shouldn't have to beg a man to teach you what you want to learn and then have to hide that you're smarter than most of the ' _educated_ ' males. It's not fair and it's not right, and I have no right to make it harder than it already is or make you feel like you're less than I am because of your sex and I'm just truly, truly sorry. I'd take you back home in a heartbeat if I could, you have to believe me."

By this time he was on his knees in front of her, both her hands clasped in his as he looked earnestly into her eyes, silently begging her forgiveness. Slipping one hand free, Alek cupped Jason's jaw as she looked deeply into his tortured hazel eyes, "I'm sorry too" she whispered simply. Leaning forward she kissed his lips gently, melting into his arms when he wrapped her in a strong hug before finally leaning back to look up at him. "Is it true? That you can't get out of this tournament I mean?" she asked him anxiously.

"If Pythagoras says so then it is," he replied regretfully, "I learned a long time ago that whenever Pythagoras says something, it almost always turns out to be true."

Alek sighed and laid her head back against his chest, "Then we're going to have to figure out a way to keep you safe" she replied firmly.

Jason's chest rumbled with his silent laughter, "I'm already on it," he assured her, "as soon as the work dries up for us on the docks, we're going on an extended camping trip into the forest. Hercules and Pythagoras are going to help me train as much as possible until the games, that way I'll at least be able to hold my own enough to not get too seriously hurt."

Alek stared at him anxiously, "Promise me, that the minute you can withdraw you will, or that if it gets too dangerous—If there's even the slightest chance of serious injury, you'll pull out. Promise me!" she demanded.

"Shh," he soothed her, "It'll be alright love. I'm not going to let myself get too banged up." Alek snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Ok, ok, I promise if it gets to be too much, or at the first opportunity I'll pull out of the competition" Jason capitulated when it looked like she was about to gear up for another argument.

Realizing that was the best she was going to get on the subject she nodded satisfied, allowing herself to be wrapped in his strong arms again. As the crowd began to disperse around the mouth of the alley, the two of them rose and continued on to Daedalus' house. The crotchety old inventor was hard at work in his workshop as usual. He scowled when he saw Jason with Alek,

"What are you doing here?" he grumbled at the brunette warrior, as he shuffled around his work bench to receive the hug Alek always greeted him with now. "I don't understand how an intelligent woman like you can stand being betrothed to a monkey brained dunder head like that!" He jerked at thumb at Jason, "All muscle and no sense! That's what you're saddled to my dear."

He turned just in time to see Jason tap the wing of one of his favorite flying contraptions hanging from the ceiling, "Come to poke and prod at things you've no hope of ever understanding have you monkey boy!?"

Snatching up a long linen wrapped stick he'd been attempting to attach to one of his latest inventions when they arrived, Daedalus swatted Jason's hand hard. "Can't keep your grubby monkey fingers to yourself?!" The old man backed Jason toward the door still thwacking at whatever part of the brunette warrior he could reach.

"Stop hitting at me old man" Jason growled as he evaded the blows the old inventor was trying to land, "I just walked Alek here for her lesson today. I'm not staying, besides who'd want to stay in a room that smells like burnt hair and skunk?"

Alek face palmed watching the two men. For the life of her she couldn't figure out why Daedalus had taken such a dislike to Jason, but decided she'd better intercede on her lover's behalf before either man did or said something they'd later regret.

"Ahem, Master Daedalus," she spoke brightly as she stepped deftly between the two, "how is your son Icarus? Isn't he due back from Athens soon?"

As she brought the old inventor's attention to herself, she quietly waved Jason toward the door with one hand behind her back, as she simultaneously drew Daedalus back to his workshop with the other.

"I can't wait to see the texts he's supposed to bring back" she told the old inventor brightly, "I do hope you'll allow me to visit and see them when he arrives."

Jason shook his head in wonderment as he watched Alek engage the old man and draw all his attention to her. Alek was a wonderful diplomat; she'd always been able to draw the best out people with seemingly no effort on her part at all. Grinning after the pair, he quietly slipped out of the house and headed back toward home. With any luck he, Pythagoras, and Hercules would be able to hash out all the details of their planned excursion to the forest and how exactly he'd manage to avoid Ariadne till then before Alek got back home that evening. With his course of action decided, Jason broke into a jog, anxious to reach home and put any plans they made into action.


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

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"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles…If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle." ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

* * *

Unbeknownst to Jason and his friends, even as they made plans for getting out of their latest predicament Queen Pasiphae was putting plans of her own into play across the city. Atlantis's fearsome queen paced the halls of the palace on her way to her husband's study, ignoring the servants she passed who immediately dropped into deep bows. She was in a good mood today, things were going exactly as she planned; Ariadne had been forced to give up her common lover and accept Heptarian as her betrothed, and was consequentially suffering a broken heart. The Princesses feckless maid servant was still languishing in the palace dungeons, and Minos was beginning to show the first signs of the poison he was slowly being dosed with. With any luck whatsoever, both her idiot of a husband and her despised step-daughter would be dead and buried by this time next year and she would finally be free to rule Atlantis as it should be. Oh the plans she had for the future. Once she was free to rule as she saw fit, no more would Atlantis be forced to prostrate itself to its stronger neighbors. She would build an army the likes of which had never been seen; then with the kingdom safe from potential invasion, she could safely see her beloved niece and nephew wed to worthy matches within the strongest and best royal families in Greece. Eventually their family would lead all the great kingdoms as one of the greatest dynasties in history.

She faltered momentarily as her thoughts inevitably went to the one tortured place in her heart that always pained her whenever she thought of her future plans. Thoughts of the one person missing who should have been at the center of her efforts, her son—Jason. Taken from her when he was only a babe in swaddling clothes; butchered like an animal, by an animal. Oh she'd gotten her revenge on the hapless soldier who'd committed the atrocious act, as well as the grasping general who'd ordered the heinous butchering of an innocent child, but ultimately the one responsible for the whole mess that had led to the war that had cost her son his life had gotten away. Aeson,…whenever she thought of the man she'd been forced to wed her whole body quivered with suppressed rage. If that maladroit idiot had only listened to her, taken her advice, none of it: the civil war, the bloodshed, losing Jason, would have been necessary.

Instead, he'd placed her on a pedestal like some trophy to be polished and shined and shown off to his incompetent compatriots. If ever there had been an inept ruler it had been Aeson. As his parents only surviving baby, he had been spoiled beyond use. Indulged in everything by a doting father and mother who had allowed him to grow up believing that anything he wished for was a preordained certainty. As a result, once he'd gained his throne all he'd cared about was his pomp, and glory. Spending, spending, spending until the royal vaults were empty and then taxing the peasants to starvation to pay for his banquets, and games. Then when one of her brother's ambassadors had finally had the nerve to comment on his feckless ways, he'd thrown a temper tantrum like a child and declared war on her homeland of Colchis. As much as she'd grown to dislike Aeson in the short time they'd been married, she'd feared her brother Apophis more, for he was ruthless and cruel for sport. She was determined to never be under her brother's thumb if she could prevent it, and she'd shuddered to think what he would've done to Jason at the time if given the chance.

Even as children Apophis had possessed a cruel streak, delighting in tormenting his younger sisters and cousin. At the age of twenty-five after a decade of vile debauchery, he'd found himself unable to sire children of his own. Unwilling to admit that any fault might possibly lay with him; Apophis instead had his helpless young wife burned alive for the sin of being barren. The same fate had followed for his second and third wives, until not even the most desperate of noble houses would send their daughters to die. In desperation for what the future might hold for his other children, their aging father had married Pasiphae and her sister off as quickly as possible, Pasiphae to the young ruler of their closest neighbor and Circe to one of the top nobles in the same kingdom. Their only cousin had been committed to serve the temple rather than risk being under Apophis' eventual rule. Pasiphae had known that if Aeson succeeded in trying to wage a war against Colchis, that Apophis would have ground their kingdom into the dust. He would have delighted in taking her son and twisting him into something like himself. Realizing there would be no reasoning with Aeson's pride, she determined to save her child and her kingdom the only way she knew how to. She made a deal with the one man who held the only hope of saving them all at the time, Minos.

Minos may have been a simple noble, but he was a brilliant tactician. A minor chancellor in Aeson's cabinet of advisors at the time, and an unpopular one at that, Minos was always preaching restraint and frugality; he was the odd man out in a world of decadence and splendor. But as a result, he was rich, far richer than his king though none but Pasiphae suspected it at the time, and possessed a standing army of his own that was half again the size of the kings. In addition his young wife had just died after giving birth to their second child, so he was in need of a wife, a woman strong enough to help him take the throne and keep it. So she'd betrayed Aeson, helped Minos overthrow the hapless king and wed the better man after arranging Aeson's death. All had went according to plan until one of the generals loyal to Minos had decided that her son would pose a threat to their future, (after all they were planning to kill his father) and that Minos' son Therus would make a better choice as prince regent. By the time she'd learned of the man's treasonous plan it was too late, all she'd been left with was a bloody baby blanket and the empty satisfaction of torturing to death the one's responsible. She'd tried to assure that Aeson was among those she saw roasted in the brazen bull but he had somehow managed to escape. The temples new oracle had assured her he trod the road in another world and would forever after only rule among the dead. While she had been pleased he was in the underworld, she would have still liked to have been the one to send him there.

When it was all over, she'd honestly tried to put aside her grief and raise Minos' children as her own, but how was she to compete with a ghost? Though her new husband treated her with respect and sought her advice in matters of the kingdom as often if not more so than from his learned advisors, (at least in the early years of their marriage), he could never quite put aside the passionate love he'd bourn as a young man for his children's mother. Raised on stories from their father of their mother's nobility, kindness, and glory, Pasiphae had been unable to win either Therus or Ariadne's trust or affection. Viewed always as the outsider who sought to take their rightful mother's place in their father's heart, neither child would accept the peace offerings she'd initially held out, and so she had let her heart harden to stone. Though she had gained her sister's children when Circe and her idiot husband had sought to betray her to Aeson during the civil war, they were no replacement for her lost child. She had raised Heptarian and Medea in secret, eventually bringing Heptarian to court when Therus had been accused of treason.

Heptarian had eventually become like a surrogate son to Minos, who proved as weak willed as Aeson about some things. Medea she kept secret, for the girl was dearest to her heart apart from her own lost child. Over time Medea proved to be touched by the gods like Pasiphae herself, like she was sure her son Jason would have been; so she taught Medea everything she knew of magic and of her heritage to the goddess Hecate. Planning for the day Medea would take her place as high priestess to the goddess and would rule a kingdom of her own once her aunt/mother found one worthy of her.

Bringing herself sharply back to the present when she found herself outside the King's study, Pasiphae hesitated long enough to drop the façade of loving wife over her face before rapping once on the door. Waiting impatiently for the command to 'Enter', she swept into the room and bowed her head subserviently to Minos.

"My Lord" she murmured, "How are you feeling today?"

"Much the same" Minos admitted tiredly, though he couldn't help but smile when he saw his wife; she was truly magnificent. Though not as young as she was when they wed, she had a regal bearing that made the sparse silver in her dark chestnut hair seem all the more attractive as it held the allure of experience over youth.

"Let me get you a drink" Pasiphae lovingly offered after sparing a frown at the king's goblet standing empty by the wine amphorae.

"I shall have to have a word with the steward" she scolded as she turned to the table holding the wine and goblet, "the king must never be left wanting for something to drink, especially as he labors so hard to see to the betterment of our city."

Busying herself at the wine table, she slipped a small vial from the top of her gown and swiftly poured a reddish purple powder into the goblet before adding the wine. Turning back to Minos with a smile, she deftly served him the wine glass.

"Here my love, some refreshment to ease your burden" she murmured softly.

Minos smiled as he took the goblet; "You are so good to me" he smiled up at her.

"It's no more than you deserve" Pasiphae assured him, a satisfied smile on her face.

"How goes your plans for the festival my love?" she asked as Minos indicated the chair next to him.

"Well so far" he sighed, "All the combatants have been chosen and blessed. The workmen have cleared and sanded the arena floor, and all the dignitaries from the neighboring kingdoms have replied to the invitations. Now if I can manage to sort out the guilds and where each is to be placed for the festival everything will be in place."

"Perhaps I could be of use" Pasiphae offered, "I would be glad to take on the task of sorting out the guilds. That way you could turn your attentions to the dignitaries and making sure we show a strong front to our allies."

Minos smiled lovingly at his queen; she was always trying to see to the care and advancement of their family and kingdom. He could think of no woman more worthy of the title queen than she, except perhaps his first wife. Ariadne would make a fine queen someday; he only hoped his strong willed daughter would carry the lessons she'd learned at her step-mothers knee with her when the day came for her to carry the mantle of leadership. That was the one bright spot he carried with him during this lingering illness he couldn't seem to shake off. That Pasiphae and Heptarian would be there to help Ariadne through the dark days that would inevitably follow his death; for Minos held no illusions that he could very easily die from this mysterious malady. The best and brightest healers in the kingdom were completely stumped; none had seen or seemed able to treat the lingering feebleness in his limbs, nor his inability to keep all but the blandest of foods on his stomach. He was reduced to being able to only withstand small amounts of plain bread soaked in wine now and seemed to grow frailer by the day. Yet he must be seen as being well, at least until after the Pankration and Ariadne's wedding. Only Pasiphae truly knew the extent of his ailment and she was a constant comfort to him through the worst bouts of his illness.

"Thank you my dear, but there are some affairs of state that only the king can determine - too many, it sometimes feels. But as long as you are by my side, the burden seems a lighter one." Minos smiled as he took her hand in his, "Besides you have more than enough on your plate caring for our family and the household, I couldn't in good conscience add more to your burden."

Pasiphae's smile didn't quite make it to her eyes, and she dipped her head in false modesty to cover it, giving her the needed few seconds to tamp down her rage at once again being seen and treated like a prize mare.

"You are too kind my lord" she murmured.

Minos sighed in contentment as he drank deeply from his goblet. Setting it aside, he grinned at the look of satisfaction on Pasiphae's face.

' _She truly loves me_ ' he thought, feeling slightly guilty for the millionth time over his inability to let die the love he held for his first wife. Though he truly cared for Pasiphae, neither of them held any hope that what he felt for her was anything but a pale ember to the love he bore for the ghost of the woman he'd lost long ago, just as they both knew that neither of his children could ever take the place of the lost prince. What they had could only be described as contentment, but Minos knew that in this world that was often more precious than any treasure.

Turning once again to the pile of parchments before him, Minos picked up his quill again "The people will enjoy the pankration, do you not think?" he asked absently as he scribbled on one of the papers.

"Oh undoubtedly" Pasiphae nodded, as she glanced once more at his goblet, "though I'm not sure that all the contestants are suitable."

Minos frowned as he continued to make notes in the margins of one of the parchments, "You're worried that some aren't suitable? I was under the impression that all had passed rigorous trials before being allowed to submit their lot. Has anyone perhaps bribed the games-master?" he looked up at Pasiphae, a stern expression on his face, "If you've heard such rumors—"

"Oh no my lord" she hastened to reply, "I don't believe the game master would ever be so bold as to attempt something of that nature. It's only…"

Minos took her hand in his, his expression softened, "It's alright my dear" he told Pasiphae earnestly, "I won't be cross with you; how could I when you have such care for me. Come tell me what troubles you and I shall try to relieve it."

Pasiphae looked up at him genuinely shocked for a moment that he could show such feeling for her before recovering her usual calm demeanor; smiling lovingly at him once more and nudging the goblet closer.

"It's only the boy Jason my lord," she replied "All the other contestants are either younger sons of or connected to royal households of other city-states. But this Jason is merely a peasant, a-a commoner. I fear by allowing him to compete with the sons of the other noble houses like an equal will be seen as an insult to the others."

Minos scowled for a moment before picking up the goblet and draining the rest of the wine, missing the look of triumph that flitted across Pasiphae's face. It was true he'd never considered that point, but the boy _**had**_ slain the Minotaur and released the kingdom from its long curse, surely that would out-weigh his lack of breeding? Besides the priests had already accepted the boy and given him the gods blessing. Would it be seen as an offence to the Gods to forbid him to compete at this point? As much as Minos was anxious to keep up good relations with his neighbors, he feared insulting the Gods more. Shaking his head he once again, he sought to calm his queen's fears, "I'm afraid it's too late to worry about that my love. The boy has been accepted by the god's and for better or worse with our allies, we can't insult the gods."

Bowing her head to the king's decree, Pasiphae tried for the look of devotion Minos had come to expect from her. After all, Heptarian had never lost a match yet, and there was always ways of insuring that that insolent peasant didn't interfere, though she doubted she'd be able to pull of another cursed doll as she did during the bull court. Perhaps he could be bribed? Or if all else failed she could always have his friends killed; he seemed to care for them deeply as they were always together. Yes, perhaps they would prove his weak spot; she would have to think on it. Glancing back a Minos, she smiled and rose from her chair,

"As you say my lord" she replied, "I shall leave you to your work. I must see to the preparation of the offerings for the festival, and check on Ariadne. Perhaps I could order a new comb for her hair for the celebration?"

Minos smiled and chuckled, "You spoil that child my dear, but yes I suppose a new comb would be alright."

Dipping into a low curtsy, Pasiphae left him to his work, sweeping out of the room with all the dignity and pomp of the queen she was.


	7. Chapter Six

AN: Firstly I want to apologize to everyone for leaving this story hanging for as long as I have. The only excuse I can give you is that life has been….hectic lately, and leave it at that. I do hope everyone who was into Alek's story will continue to hang in there with me as I try to get some progress made. I have succeeded in completing my move though, so that's at least one thing accomplished. I'll most likely be living out of boxes for the next six months or so but hey it could be worse. Anyway here's the next chapter and with luck the rest should follow in a timely fashion. As always I own nothing but my storyline and OC. Enjoy.

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Chapter Six

"Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond; cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education."

—Mark Twain

* * *

The next few weeks passed in a blur of anxiety for Jason and his friends as they tried to prepare as best they could for the coming Pankration. The tentative plan was for Jason to make a believable showing during his first match before allowing his opponent to score a hit on him with the knife. The hardest part was not knowing who he would be facing in his first match. If he were unlucky enough to be paired with Heptarian or one of the other fanatical fighters that made a living from following the 'circuit', then all bets were off as all of them were known to kill their opponents just for the sheer pleasure of it. His only chance lay in hopefully drawing lots and pairing with one of the lesser known fighters or the ones who were competing in their first Pankration, as they would be the most likely to adhere to honorable combat.

Hercules coached Jason as much as possible on different ways to disarm an opponent without staying in reach of a weapon for more than a split second or two. Pythagoras drilled the brunette warrior on his reflexes; this consisted mainly of the ginger mathematician chucking objects of differing sizes, and weights at Jason from different directions whenever he thought Jason wasn't expecting it; with the usual result of Alek having plenty of practice treating contusions. For Alek's part, she suggested he go for runs on the sandy beaches to build up his endurance, as fighting on sand made it harder to move quickly as well as doing multiple drills of sit-ups and pull-ups every morning and evening. Medusa and Alek together made meals heavy on protein to help Jason build up as much muscle mass as possible, having no idea how strong an opponent might be. Together all of them tried whatever they thought would help get the dark haired warrior past the first round of competition so that he could withdraw without penalty afterwards. Even Hercules was forced to admit that perhaps his student's chances were improving as week by week the size of the brunette warriors biceps noticibly increased as well as his overall body muscle mass. Though Jason had always been fit, now his body truly resembled the statues of ancient Greek gods that were in so many of modern day London museums.

Finally the day arrived that the harbor master Bion announced that the trading season was over until after the summer solstice. All the temporary workers were released with their last wages and instructed to be back to work the day following the end of the festival in three weeks' time. Jason and his friends waited in line to receive their pay and then beat a hasty trail back home. Everything they'd need for a month in the forest had been packed up and ready to go for days. They'd only been waiting for the last trade ships to make port so that they could leave with the assurance of having a job when the work commenced again after the holiday. When they reached the house, they found Medusa and Alek sitting at the kitchen table, busily making arrows as a large pot of chicken stew simmered on the hearth. Both women had jumped startled when Jason had burst through the door with Pythagoras and Hercules hot on his heels. Instinctively Alek had clutched the small jeweled dagger she always carried on her belt now.

"Who's after you" Medusa cried jumping to her feet, "the guards?"

"No one's after us my love," Hercules boomed grinning at Medusa, "We have officially been released from work until after the celebrations and were anxious to see the two most beautiful women in all of Atlantis."

Alek snorted in amusement while Medusa blushed and smiled up at the burly wrestler. "I see you've been hard at work" remarked Pythagoras as he took in the pile of arrows on the kitchen table, "wherever did you come by so many arrow heads."

Alek beamed, "I traded for them," she told the mathematician proudly, "A dozen pies for the shafts, heads, and three chickens."

"A dozen pies!?" Hercules growled, "You got taken Alek. Tell me, which merchant it was and I'll see to him."

"Now, now Hercules, calm down" Medusa soothed the big man, "Alek is a better bargainer than you give her credit for. Just look at the arrows and you'll see."

Jason picked up one of the finished arrows and examined it. Whistling in amazement he passed the arrow to Pythagoras before turning to Alek.

"Nice," he complemented, "I'd say even Pythagoras couldn't have gotten a better deal."

"What's so special about these arrows?" Hercules asked impatiently, after waving the arrow Pythagoras had been trying to show him away.

"The heads are obsidian Hercules, you know—dragon glass!" Pythagoras replied sharply, "They will never have to be sharpened like other arrow heads and they're lighter; which means they can travel farther distances and are far more deadly than regular arrow heads. Plus see the barbs? These can't be pulled out, they'll have to be cut out which means any big game shot with one of these can't scrub them out on bushes or a tree because it'd just push the head in deeper."

Hercules looked rightly impressed as he examined one of the arrows further. There were approximately fifty or so arrows on the table and another two dozen arrow heads and shafts lying ready to be assembled. Each finished arrow head was secured to the shaft by very thin leather strings dyed red, brown, or green.

"The different colors are so we can tell who brought down the game" Alek told them shyly, "Red for Jason, brown for Pythagoras, and green for me."

"Oi" grouched Hercules, "don't I get any?"

"Nope" replied Alek snidely "They're all for us, but I did get you this" brushing aside some of the spare arrow heads she handed the burly wrestler what looked like a foot long gigantic arrow head.

"It's a spear head!" the big man exclaimed pleased and impressed. "An obsidian spear head at that!"

Jason and Pythagoras gathered around Hercules to admire the spear head while Medusa and Alek cleared away the materials and finished arrows from the table in preparation for the evening meal.

That night the house was jolly as the five friends enjoyed the delicious stew and discussed plans for their extended camp out.

"I wish I were coming with you" sighed Medusa, "unfortunately the palace kitchens don't get a holiday."

"I shall be thinking of you constantly my sweet" Hercules promised her faithfully before draining his flagon of small beer.

"I wish you were coming too" Alek grinned at her friend, "I don't know how I'm going to fair being stuck in a forest with three loud rowdy men."

"I beg your pardon" Pythagoras sputtered "I am neither loud nor rowdy at all!"

"We know" Hercules quipped sarcastically, "You make a mouse seem feisty by comparison."

The house rang with laughter the others couldn't hold in at the affronted look on the mathematician's face. Later, while Hercules walked Medusa home, and Jason sat at the table finishing the assembly of the remaining arrows, Alek helped Pythagoras put the last few bundles of herbs he'd picked up on the way home that evening in the packs the four of them would be taking with them.

"I, uh, saw a friend of yours today" Alek hedged as she closed up the last pack. "I was at Master Daedalus' going over some texts that his son brought back with him from Athens" she watched Pythagoras closely out of the corner of her eye.

"Icarus is back?" Pythagoras looked both startled and pleased.

"Uhuh" Alek answered noncommittally, continuing to watch the ginger haired mathematician closely. "I've never had the pleasure of meeting him before, but I must say I was impressed with what I saw."

"W-what do you mean?" Pythagoras asked nervously as he closed up his own pack and put it with the others near the front door.

"Oh just that he seemed very _fit_ for a scholar…I mean it's not every day that you get to meet someone who's nearly as smart as you are 'Py' who also enjoys physical activities as well. Not to mention he's rather good looking and those black eyes…oh", she giggled quietly, "I can definitely understand how easy it'd be for someone to fall for him."

"Oi!-I'm sitting right here you know" Jason grouched from behind them as he stared up at Alek jealously. "Oh not as good looking as you love," Alek assured the dark haired warrior, "no one will ever be as good looking to me as you are." Nodding his acceptance with a grin of her continued devotion he turned back to assembling arrows.

Pythagoras sputtered in indignation, "Firstly I enjoy physical activity as much as the next person. After all it's essential to good health and brain function. Just because I don't run around like a wild man," here he glanced over a Jason, "doesn't mean I don't enjoy the occasional physical activity. And secondly, please don't call me 'Py'; it makes me sound like one of Hercules favorite foods."

The mathematician got a distant look on his face for a moment then shuddered before shaking off the mental image the nickname had wrought.

"Well its either ' _Py_ ' or ' _Thag_ '…maybe ' _Hag_ ', but that doesn't sound very nice" she mused aloud before shaking her head and continuing, "After all I can't very well call both you _and_ Icarus ' _Rus_ ', that'd just be confusing. And the only other nickname for Rus would be ' _Icky'_ , and that definitely doesn't sound nice, so I'm afraid you're stuck with ' _Py_ ' Py. "

"Why can't you simply call us 'Icarus' and 'Pythagoras'?" the ginger haired genius asked confused.

"Because that's what Alek does," Jason chimed in from the table, "If you're lucky enough to be considered a friend of hers, then you always get a nickname if your name happens to be over two syllables."

"B-b-but she's only just met Icarus" sputtered Pythagoras, "So how is it he's already warranted a nickname?"

"Oh that's easy," grinned Alek, "significant others of my besties always get a nickname too. In this instance it's a good one that can be used in public as I totally approve of your choice."

"M-my choice?" Pythagoras stuttered nervously, "what choice? I don't recall making any choice."

Alek just continued to smile knowingly and shook her head, leaving the mathematician with a fluttery feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Anyway," the brunette beauty continued as if nothing were amiss, "I invited 'Rus' to visit the campsite while we're away. He seemed very interested in some of the training techniques that we're going to be drilling Jason on and so I invited him to come spend a few days with us."

Pythagoras stared at her in shock, "I-I-Icarus is going to s-stay in the woods? W-with _**us**_?" he squeaked.

"Of course with us," Alek replied clearly amused, "He's not coming out to watch me pick herbs. I thought the two of you would like the opportunity to catch up since he's been gone so long." Suddenly looking up at the mathematician worriedly, Alek bit her lower lip, "I hope that's ok Py, but if you'd rather not then I'll ask him not to" she offered anxiously.

" _NO_! I-I mean no, that's perfectly fine with me Alek. The more minds we have on this the better the outcome after all" Pythagoras mumbled embarrassed. "I-I think I'll turn in early," the mathematician continued, edging toward his bedroom door like he expected one of them to try and stop him, "Nothing like a good night's sleep to wake fresh in the morning…Night!"

Turning he fled through his bedroom door, yanking the curtain closed behind him. Alek sat down by Jason at the kitchen table and started assembling an arrow, a satisfied smile on her face.

"I know that grin," Jason stated suspiciously, "and it means trouble."

"Why whatever do you mean love?" Alek asked innocently, continuing wrapping the arrow she was working on and refusing to meet Jason's gaze.

"That" he answered, "that right there is what I mean. You're matchmaking again aren't you" he accused.

Alek couldn't keep the corners of her lips from tipping up into a knowing grin but remained silent as she started assembling another arrow.

Jason sighed in defeat, "Just make sure they both feel the same. I don't want Pythagoras getting hurt alright?"

"I would never get Py hurt on purpose you know that" Alek looked up at him sharply, "Besides, it was _Icarus_ drilling _me_ for every detail on Pythagoras and what he's been up to for the last year Icarus has been gone. I just put two and two together that's all, and did you see Py's reaction? He's as gone over Icarus as Rus is over him. They're perfect for each other. Py's smart enough to keep Rus on his toes, and Rus is outgoing enough to help Py come out of his shell a bit."

Jason shook his head and sighed. He knew there would be no stopping her once she got an idea in her head. Personally, he'd wait to reserve judgement until he met this 'Icarus' for himself, idly wondering not for the first time if _this_ Icarus was the one from the Greek myths he'd grown up loving. He had to admit that so far all the legends he'd met fell quite short of the fabled heroes of the stories he'd grown up on. So far Pythagoras was the only figure from history that stood up to the stories Jason had read about him, but he supposed that could be from the fact that as far as Jason had been able to determine, that was because Pythagoras had been a real person in history and not a fable or myth passed down through the ages. Besides, the mathematician was the first person Jason had met when he arrived in Atlantis and had immediately taken the confused and lost young man in without reservation or question. Next to Alek he was the person Jason cared about most and the brunette warrior wouldn't see him hurt in any way if he could prevent it. The two sat in thoughtful silence finishing the last of the arrows before packing them into the three quivers and adding them to the pile of gear by the door, just as Hercules breezed in from walking Medusa home looking vastly content. Soon the house was silent as the four friends turned in early so as to be able to start their journey as soon as the city gates were opened at dawn.


	8. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

"If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer."

—Alan Lewis

The next morning dawned clear and warm. After a hasty meal of bread, cheese, and olives, Hercules, Pythagoras, and Alek shouldered their packs and set out for the Shepherds gate at the western entrance to the city. Medusa would keep an eye on the house while they were away, so they weren't worried about thieves breaking in while they were gone. Jason had risen well before the others that morning and had snuck their various weapons as well as his pack over the wall and hidden them at the edge of the woods to be picked up once they were past the outer guard wall and the sentries stationed there. Though it wasn't necessarily illegal to have the weapons on them, the four had agreed it was best to give the guards as little reason to detain them with questions as possible.

Alek had a shapeless robe wrapped around her and her hair covered with a woolen hijab like garment so as to draw as little attention to herself as possible. The three breathed a sigh of relief once they were safely past the gate and climbing into the foothills surrounding Atlantis. They'd reached Jason's hiding spot within an hour and together the quartet climbed higher into the dense forest, making for the deserted trappers' cabin that the boys had found the first year Jason had arrived in Atlantis. It would take most of two days to get there, but was far enough from the city and hard enough to find that they didn't have to worry about being discovered by some of the more unsavory elements that tended to prey on unwary travelers through the forest. That first evening they made camp well before dark so that Jason could begin training with Hercules as soon as possible. Once camp had been set up, Pythagoras and Alek cleared a wide ring by sweeping away the pine needles and leaves from the forest floor. Hercules took a small knife from his pack, and he and Jason stepped into the center of the cleared area.

"There is only one rule in the pankration," Hercules instructed the dark haired young man, "and that's that there _**are no rules**_." Sticking the knife up in the dirt in the center of the ring, he paced to the other side across from Jason.

"So I just need to get to the knife first?" Jason asked.

"That's all" Pythagoras assured him.

Grinning at the burly wrestler cockily, Jason dived for the knife only to jerk back shocked when Hercules lashed his fingers with a long thin switch the burly wrestler had been idly chewing the end of.

Nursing his stung fingers Jason glared at the smug wrestler, "That's not fair!" he whined.

"Too bad," Hercules responded snidely, "you forgot the rules."

"But you said there were no rules!" the brunette warrior grouched.

"Exactly" replied Pythagoras, "now try again."

This time Jason managed to avoid the switch but was taken totally by surprise when he dived for the knife and Hercules promptly flipped the brunette over his shoulder to sprawl in the dust sending the knife flying out of his hand.

"Oomph!" Jason gasped as the wind was knocked out of his lungs.

Alek, who'd been watching from the sidelines along with Pythagoras, started to go to see if Jason was alright only to be detained by the mathematician.

"He has to do this on his own Alek" the ginger haired genius murmured, "no one will be allowed to come to his rescue in the arena."

Alex scowled at the ginger haired young man beside her, "But that's—"

"…not fair" the burly wrestler finished for her ib a high whiny voice as Jason climbed to his feet; "You're both forgetting, there are—"

"No rules, we get it" Jason sighed as he took up his position opposite Hercules once more.

This time the brunette warrior managed to grasp the knife handle, but before he could pull it out of the ground, the burly wrestler ploughed into him from behind and sent them both sprawling well out of reach of the blade. Hercules then promptly put Jason in a sleeper hold and held him there until the brunette warrior went limp. As soon as he did, Hercules released him, as Alek rushed to his side.

"Did you have to take it that far!" she yelled at the burly wrestler as she feverishly worked to revive Jason.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did!" growled Hercules, "The men facing Jason in the arena will do a lot worse than choke him out if given the opportunity. He has to be ready for anything. Getting to the knife first is the least of it, once he gets it, he's got to be able to keep it at least long enough to draw first blood on his opponent Alek." By this time Jason had come too and was doggedly climbing to his feet,

"Again," Hercules said flatly taking up his spot across from the brunette pair.

Pythagoras pulled Alek out of the way as Jason prepared to try again. Over and over they drilled as Hercules used every trick he could think of. Sometimes Jason managed to get to the knife, but inevitably the burly wrestler managed to either knock the knife from his grasp or somehow take Jason down before he could manage to score a hit with it. When dark finally descended enough they were forced to call a halt to the training, Jason was consistently getting the knife at least. Long before then, Alek had trudged away from the makeshift sparing ring in search of firewood for their campfire that night, unable to watch Jason take hit after hit. ' _How on earth am I going to stomach watching him in the actual ring?_ ' she wondered, bending to pick up another small branch and adding it to the growing pile in her arms.

Stopping to lean against a tree, she leaned her head back against the trunk and tried to allow the peace of the surrounding forest to calm her. Her mind drifted back to all the times she'd been in forests much like these when she was a child. Before her mum and dad split up, they'd had numerous camping trips; in fact it was during one such trip that she'd taken with her dad when she was eleven that he'd broken the news to her about the divorce. Though both of her parents had tried to assure her that it was no one's fault, that they'd simply ' _drifted apart_ ', Alek had been sure at the time that it was due to the pagan celebrations her mum and Nona observed that bothered her devout father that was the main reason. At first nothing much changed except that her dad moved out into a place of his own. She saw him on weekends and for holidays for the first year or so, then a promotion sent him to London. After that, she didn't get to see him as often, but they always really enjoyed seeing one another when she did. Then he'd begun dating a woman he met at work. She was a devout follower of the Church of England like he was, and had been appalled to learn of the pagan upbringing Alek had experienced.

Gradually her disapproval had driven a wedge further and further between Alek and her dad until finally he'd stopped seeing her altogether. Oh there was always a 'valid' excuse, he had to work, she had school, etc., etc., until finally neither made the effort anymore. He remarried the summer Alek turned sixteen, and she wasn't even invited to the wedding, not that she'd have attended anyway. By that time Alek had decided that religion would play no part in her life. Why be a prisoner to some hocus-pocus mumbo-jumbo when everything could be made so much simpler by cold hard logic. She'd thrown herself into her studies and had subsequently earned a full scholarship to university. She'd always been fascinated with different cultures and science, so it'd been natural that she'd found herself gravitating to the forensic anthropology program. She'd been anticipating nothing more than another credit toward her degree when she'd walked onto Mac's boat the summer of her junior year. She'd certainly never expected to find the love of her life, but she could honestly admit she wouldn't change anything.

Rousing herself out of her memories, she was startled to see the sun was only a faint glow through the trees. Gathering her armload of firewood closer to her, she began to retrace her steps back to the campsite only to run into Jason, who'd come looking for her.

"Alright love?" he asked anxiously as they came together.

"Yeah, I just couldn't stand watching you get beat up anymore, so I decided to gather some wood for the fire tonight" Alek admitted sheepishly.

Jason grinned at her and took over carrying the wood, "Oh, I'm alright" he assured her, "They're not gonna do too much damage, it would defeat the purpose."

Alek lay a hand on his arm to draw him to a halt, "Do you really have to do this?" she asked him anxiously.

Jason sighed and hugged her to his side with one arm, "I'm sorry" he stated simply, "I know this is hard on you, and you're right, I should have talked it over with you first. It's just I'm still getting used to your being here. What I mean is, I'm out of practice having to take someone else's feelings into consideration since coming here. But I promise I'm going to be as careful as possible ok? And as soon as I can I'll pull out of the competition. I suppose I just got too excited at the prospect of being able to afford getting married sooner" he admitted sheepishly, grinning at her as he waggled his brows up and down.

Alek burst out laughing in spite of herself. She had to admit Jason was so much happier here than he'd ever been in England. He seemed less suspicious of people, more outgoing, more settled. If and when the day finally came that they got the chance to go back home, she wasn't sure she'd be able to ask him to give up Atlantis and his friends here. If not that meant she would either have to give up the man she loved desperately to return home, (not bloody likely), or give up any chance at going home herself and instead make her life with him here. Shaking off her worries of the future, she determined the best course of action was to quit worrying about things she had no control over at the moment and let things happen as they were wont to do, and enjoy just being together in the moment.

When the two reached the campsite, they found Pythagoras busily chopping vegetables and meat for a stew and Hercules laying out bedrolls around the ring of stones he'd gathered to contain their campfire. Jason dropped the firewood by the stones and began assembling the branches inside the ring in preparation of lighting the fire. For her part Alek took up the cook pot and filled it with clean water from the stream they'd camped by and hung it over the tripod Jason had set up over the crackling fire. Soon the smell of rich stew pervaded the small clearing as the four friends settled in for the night, sharing stories, and tidbits around the camp fire. Inevitably the conversation turned to the upcoming celebrations and the contestants that would be competing against Jason in the Pankration.

"Harmon will be the toughest to beat" Hercules said seriously as he added another branch to the fire, "He's the reigning champion in Sparta. Everyone knows Spartans are neigh on unbeatable once they go into berserker frenzy."

"Yes, but if Jason knows that going into the competition then he has the advantage," Pythagoras replied logically.

"How on earth does that give me the advantage?" Jason asked skeptically.

"It gives you the advantage because someone like that is more prone to making a mistake," Alek told him before Pythagoras had a chance to answer, "Someone that emotional won't be thinking clearly. They're going to be moving according to their emotions and not necessarily what's the most logical; as long as you stay calm, you'll not only be fighting logically but you'll also be able to conserve more energy physically so as to be able to win when he makes a mistake."

"The key to the whole competition is to disarm or disqualify your opponent as quickly as possible" Pythagoras continued earnestly.

"It'll help a lot if you can also manage to become the crowd's favorite," Hercules advised, "You've got the advantage of home turf for that going in. As slayer of the Minotaur you're already considered as the city's savior; most of the other contestants are going to be wary of your prowess as a warrior just from that. Build up that uncertainty in their minds before going into the arena and you might be able to overpower your first opponent simply because they're not going to want to chance getting within reach of you. Then it's just a matter of tiring them out enough they make a stupid mistake and wham!—you've won your round and can drop out without losing face."

Jason sighed but nodded. Alek took his hand in hers and smiled up at him, trying to convey her support and strength just through that simple touch. As the others continued their conversation, she leaned in close and whispered in his ear, "Remember you also have the advantage of history on your side."

Jason looked down at her confused, "History?" he murmured quietly, "How's that going to help?"

"Think" Alek replied just as softly, "you've spent most of your life studying ancient cultures. You know how most of them lived, how they fought, etc. That gives you an advantage of knowing at least a little about almost every cultures fighting skills. The Spartans used brute strength, the Athenians relied mostly on chariots and archers, the Trojans' are mostly sailors; they're not as used to combat on land. The point is, if you use what you know already, and what you can learn about them _**outside**_ the ring as well as in it, that is going to give you a major advantage over whomever you face."

Jason smiled and nodded. Not for the first time, he silently thanked whatever cosmic force in the universe had seen fit to bring Alek into his life, and promised it once again that he would do whatever was necessary to ensure that he remained worthy of her. A little voice in his head whispered once again that maybe that meant he should come clean and tell her about Ariadne. Maybe Pythagoras was right and Alek truly loved him enough that she'd forgive his feeble attempts to replace her with a poor copy when he thought her lost to him forever. Right now though he didn't need the added stress of trying to deal with the fallout of his infidelity going into a competition that could likely result in serious injury if he became distracted. Once the Pankration was over, once he'd safely made it far enough along that he could drop out, he would come clean with Alek and confess everything. They'd work things out and it'd be better for the both of them. Maybe he'd even be willing to actively look for a way the two of them could return to modern day England. After all as long as they were together, he reasoned he could make himself be happy anywhere.


	9. Chapter Eight

AN: Just to reinterrate, I own nothing but my original storyline and Oc's. Thanks :)

Chapter Eight

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."

—Martin Luther King, Jr.

The quartet was up the next morning before dawn. Alek spit roasted fat sausages over the campfire and then wrapped them in thin pita bread to make it easy to munch on, on the go, while Pythagoras and Jason packed up the camp. For his part, Hercules made sure that all the water skins were filled with icy cold spring water from the nearby spring. The group munched on the sausages as they continued their trek higher into the forested mountain range; by noon they had reached an altitude high enough that even Jason was forced to slow his pace due to the thinner air. Coming into a small clearing ringed by tall conifers and dotted with craggy boulders, Alek decided she'd walked quite long enough and announced she was taking a break. Groaning his agreement, Hercules promptly collapsed sitting on one of the large rocks and pulled out his water skin to take a long pull on it. The others found spots around him to take their own ease, and Pythagoras passed around more pita bread along with fresh fruit for their lunch.

"How much further to the cabin?" Alek asked as she nibbled on a crisp apple.

"We'll get there in another couple of hours if we continue at a steady pace" Jason replied as he recorked his water skin and hung it from his pack.

Alek acknowledged the statement with a nod as she chewed another bite of her apple. Swallowing quickly, she asked the one question she'd been wondering about all day, "Who does the cabin belong too? Who built it?"

"Nobody knows," replied Pythagoras shrugging, "It had already been abandoned many years ago when Hercules and I first stumbled across it on a hunting trip. We just assumed the original owners had either died, or had moved closer to the city for more convenience."

"It could also be one of old King Darius's hunting lodges" Hercules stated as he gouged a small hole in the loose soil of the clearing with the toe of his sandal and buried the core of the pear he'd finished.

"Who is King Darius?" Alek asked curiously.

"He was King Aeson's grandfather" Hercules replied vaguely, "He was ruler of Atlantis when my father came here as a young man, and was the last truly great king the city had."

"What made him so special?" Jason asked curiously as the group took up their packs and prepared to continue their trek.

"Well according to the scrolls," Pythagoras panted as he doggedly followed Hercules up the trail, "he was a military leader before he was king. The ruler before him was an uncle once removed on his mother's side, who had no living children. Darius was a soldier in the army and though related to the ruler had no expectation of ever having the crown. He was a man of the people, living among them as an ordinary citizen. The ruler had other relatives who were closer relations and who many thought would make suitable heirs. Unfortunately for them, the old king had other ideas. Days before he died, he called the city councilors together and made a public announcement decreeing Darius as his choice of heir."

"What happened then?" Alek asked curiously.

"There was an attempt at a revolt" Hercules grunted from the front of the trail, "The leader of it was the old kings' nephew, Darius's cousin. He thought for sure he'd be named ruler; even boasted of it as the old king lay dying. He convinced some of the city counselors to back him and they tried to take over the city garrisons. Unfortunately for them, Darius was greatly liked by the ordinary soldiers as well as most of the generals. They refused to arrest Darius, and instead arrested the nephew and his conspirators' and drug them before the old king; who promptly had Darius crowned before an assembly of the people and the priests of the temple. After that he turned the matter of their punishment over to Darius, saying as the new ruler they were his problem now. Darius showed mercy and instead of having them killed, he banished them and all their kin from the kingdom for one hundred years."

"Whatever happened to them? To the nephew?" Alek asked fascinated with the story.

"Who knows" Hercules shrugged, "They probably went to other kingdoms and wormed their way in there. People like that are always attracted to power. They crave it like a drowning man craves air."

The little group continued on in silence, each contemplating what fate may have befallen the people in the story until they reached the clearing high in the mountains that held the abandoned trappers cabin. Alek was relieved and somewhat surprised as she looked around the clearing holding the cabin. Whoever had built this place had taken pride in their work. All the bushes had been carefully cut back to leave a flat open space on which to build. Even now, decades later, the forest had failed to reclaim the clearing, even though the grass had grown high and wild. The cabin itself was sturdy and well built. The huge logs of the walls had been cut and smoothed before being plastered over with the usual mixture of sand, gravel, and mud. The eves were carefully carved with reliefs of the various gods and goddesses of the hunt and of nature. A heavy door of solid oak was set into the south side of the building, and openings covered with solid wood shutters that could be tied back acted as windows along the east and west sides. In actuality, it was a studier built dwelling than a good majority of the houses that made up Atlantis, and Alek once again found herself wondering why it had been abandoned.

The one major shortcoming that she could see was it had no immediate source of water. The closest stream was a small trickle that splashed down the mountainside several hundred yards back down the trail. Still for their purposes it was perfect. It was highly doubtful that anyone could find them here unless they already knew where the cabin was, and from the amount of dust that lay over everything inside, it didn't appear that anyone had been here for many long years. Alek's ingrained sense of tidiness had her shooing Hercules and Jason out the door to fetch water in the wooden pails they found stacked beside the door inside, while Pythagoras cut a bushy branch from one of the shrubs that had managed to take hold beside the cabin for a broom. The rest of evening saw Alek and Pythagoras doggedly putting the little house to rights as Jason and Hercules divided their time between sparing and running water detail. By nightfall, the little cabin had been cleaned and tidied to within an inch of its life; a merry fire crackling in the hearth with a pot of stew bubbling over it. The enticing smell of the stew wafted out one of the opened windows, and had the warriors tummy's rumbling mightily by the time they called a quits to Jason training at sundown.

Washing off the dirt and sweat they'd accumulated at the water pail Alek had left on a convenient bench beside the door, they trooped inside to find the cabin spick and span and Pythagoras and Alek studying a scroll of detailed drawings of various plants and herbs native to this particular altitude and mountain range. Alek glanced up at Jason and smiled, "I didn't hear as many 'thuds' this time" she praised her dark haired love, "So that must mean you're getting better."

"Oh he's definitely getting quicker, I don't necessarily know about 'better'" Hercules grouched as he filled a horn bone cup with small beer from the leather skin they'd brought with them.

"At least I'm getting the knife every time now" Jason replied smugly.

"Oh ai, you're getting the knife, but if you can't manage to keep it long enough to score a hit it doesn't matter" Hercules informed him sourly, "Remember there's no points for second place in these games."

"Well I think its wonderful progress," Alek reassured the brunette warrior, "after all you can't expect to be perfect at it after only a week's training. I bet this Harmon fellow was just as bad if not worse when he first started out. Besides, you're not training to actually win in this thing; just to be good enough to survive long enough to withdraw."

Jason nodded in agreement, though privately he wondered if when the time came, he'd be allowed to simply walk away. Somehow or another, none of his past experiences in Atlantis had ever panned out that easily for him or his friends.

After supper that night when the quartet had settled down to sleep, Alek lay in the dark of the alcove where the cabin's only real bed stood and mulled over the situation Jason was in. ' _How can the people of Atlantis stand for the many abuses and injustices they're subjected to on a daily basis?_ ' she wondered, ' _How can a ruler who has been basically saved by someone then turn about and command that savior to fight in an arena for public entertainment?_ ' Of course logically she knew that for the time period, most Atlantians were better off than a great deal of the rest of the world. Compared to the abuses that lay in store for future generations at the hands of the Romans, Atlantis was a veritable paradise. Still there were hundreds that went hungry every day, and though it wasn't nearly as prevalent here as it was in other city states of the time period, there was still a good deal of slavery practiced.

' _People pray to_ " _ **the Gods**_ " _for protection and deliverance from cruelty,_ ' she groused silently to herself, her mental voice adding sarcastic air quotes as she imagined deities lounging around Mount Olympus that looked surprisingly like the cast of ' _Gossip Girl_ '; _'while most of the injustices that are committed against them are done in the name of those same Gods and yet I'm one of the few people who can see the irony in that. Even Pythagoras falls back on the Gods as an easy excuse to explain away anything he can't justify with his mathematics. And Jason, oh don't even get me started on Jason_ ' she huffed quietly to herself as she gave her makeshift pillow a punch before turning over, ' _He knows as well as I do that 99.9% of all the things attributed to "_ _ **the Gods**_ _" can be explained by science, but it's like his entire upbringing and education has dribbled out of his ears since arriving here. Honestly at times I just want to whack him about the head and shoulders until he comes to his senses!'_

In fact the only person that Alek had ever come across since arriving in Atlantis who was as cynical about the Gods as she was was Daedalus. " _So how do you explain Nyx?_ " the sarcastic little voice in her head argued. Even though Alek had, as far as she knew, at least actually met a Goddess in the form of Nyx, she still hadn't totally decided which side of the logic fence she was on when it came to that particular divinity. ' _I mean really, there are a dozen explanations for all this that make much better sense than just accepting that Nona_ _ **just happens**_ _to be a retired priestess, who_ _ **just happens**_ _to have a map showing a secret temple of a divine entity that_ _ **just happens**_ _to be a long distant relation of mine. A deity who_ _ **just happens**_ _to live in the cave in the mountains of western Greece that's marked on my grandmothers' secret map. One who's just been biding her time until some long lost relation (me),_ _ **just happened**_ _to need a favor that requires time travel right?'_ she argued with the voice; ' _After all, all this could just be a vivid dream sequence caused by lack of oxygen when I went unwater in the pool in the cave. I could have been knocked out by that mysterious "oracle" and be experiencing vivid_ _hallucinations while who knows what is being done to me as I lay unconscious on the floor of that cave._ _Hell for all I know, I could have succeeded in my suicide attempt, and this is my own personal hell.'_

' _Yeah right,'_ replied the little voice snidely _, 'because that makes sooo much more sense. Face it girl, you know darn well that your Nona's side of the family gives new meaning to the term weird, and this isn't the first time weird stuff has happened; it's just that this time it's taken you a little farther than you can comfortably explain away.' "_ Oh shut it would you!" Alex snapped. Hercules snorted. "S'rry" he mumbled from his pallet on the floor before turning over and promptly starting to snore once more. Alex rolled her eyes and silently prayed for patience before turning her thoughts once more to the argument she was having with herself. Hours later, still unable to come up with a reasonable explanation that satisfied all sides of her argument, Alex felt that if she continued much more her head might actually explode. Finally she forced her beleaguered brain to just accept the unacceptable and work from 'if's'. Logic reasoned that _**if**_ all of this was real and not some vivid delusion her grief stricken brain had cooked up, and _**if**_ a Goddess was really responsible for transporting her through time and space to a place that science had never had a shred of actual evidence existed, then it stood to reason that this same divine personage would probably have the power to protect Jason during the games no matter how barbaric his opponent… That is _**if**_ Alex could persuade her too. Until she was 100% sure one way or the other, Alex figured the safest option was to keep all possibilities open regardless of how far-fetched they appeared. After all, she reasoned, what harm could it do to send out a prayer or two of her own to one of, if not the most powerful deity in the pantheon; especially if those prayers happened to actually do some good where keeping Jason safe was concerned.

Abruptly coming to a decision, she silently slipped out from under the thin blanket covering the bed and carefully slipped on her sandals. Knowing the men would never allow her to venture out into the forest alone at night for fear she'd get lost or attacked by some wild animal, Alek concentrated on moving toward the door of the cabin as silently as possible like she'd been taught when tracking game. The seconds seemed to drag as she concentrated with all her being on not waking the three men asleep on pallets spread around the hearth. There was a swift flash of silver in the brunette beauties gray-blue eyes, & unbeknownst to Alek, suddenly it was as if a transparent veil dropped over the sleepers, sending them deeper into their slumbers and making them oblivious to the small scratches her sandals made against the rough pine floor. As Alek drew abreast of the table, she carefully picked up the small hunting knife that Pythagoras had left there when he'd turned in for the night as well as the nearly empty skin of small beer and the crust left over from the loaf of bread they'd shared at supper.

Making her way as quietly as possible to the door, she gritted her teeth and carefully edged it open just enough to allow her to slip through, silently willing the aged wood to make no noise. Miraculously her prayers were answered as she edged out into the night, carefully shutting the door behind her. Quickly making her way across the clearing where the cabin stood, she silently thanked the full moon that gave enough light for her to pick her way down the trail to the small stream that trickled down the mountain not far from the cabin. She heard the tinkle of the water before she ever saw it and with only a minimum amount of searching was able to find the small altar made of stacked river stones Pythagoras had pointed out to her earlier that had served the cabins previous occupants as a place of worship.

Trying to remember how she'd seen Pythagoras and sometimes Hercules make offerings to the Gods, she kneeled before the altar and placed the bread on the flat stone in the middle. Taking the knife, she carefully pricked the end of her finger and let a few drops of blood fall onto the bread before pouring a trickle of the small beer over the whole affair. Then taking a deep breath and closing her eyes she spoke softly, "Great-Mother, I call to you. Hear my prayer mighty Nyx and grant my wish. I ask nothing for myself Mother, but only that you watch over my love and keep him safe during the trials he must face in the coming days. I don't ask it of you out of a desire to see him glorified, or either of us enriched, but only to keep him safe with me, and I with him as you promised when you sent me here. Please guide his hands, his heart, and his feet so that he may always return to my side. Amen."

There was the slightest sound of static discharge suddenly, almost as if a small electrical flicker popped and Alek opened her eyes in time to see the faintest shimmer dance across the wet surface of the altar stone before all settled as it was before. An involuntary shiver shot up her spine and she glanced around quickly half expecting to see the black haired woman with stars in her eyes standing behind her, but the forest was as calm and unoccupied as it had been on her arrival. Quickly getting to her feet, Alek hurried back up the path to the cabin and silently slipped inside. The three men were soundly slumbering as before with no sign they had been aware of her nocturnal activities. Slipping over to her bed, she slid off her sandals and crawled gratefully back under the thin blanket. Within moments all that could be heard was the steady rise and fall of breath of four people sleeping soundly.


End file.
